


Under the Sun

by Tarlan



Series: Dark Gift [3]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV), Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: Crossover, M/M, Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-24
Updated: 2004-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-19 17:31:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/203364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Buck recalls the events leading up to him becoming a vampire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under the Sun

_And everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.  
 **Pink Floyd**_

***

Gerald Perkins was little more than a slave master, beating his stable boy and stealing from those who left their horses in his charge. Leading a gang of cutthroats, he had made his share of killings too, by ambushing the unwary traveler who had been lulled into revealing too much to him, and then leaving their bodies to rot under the hot sun while he sold their horses and few possessions.

On arrival in this dusty frontier town, Chris had easily read the malicious thoughts of the livery master, seeing memories of brutality that made him feel physically sick.

While mortal, Chris thought he had seen the worst that one person could do to another, having already suffered through the horrific death of his beloved wife and child at the hands of a madwoman. In his time, he had met cold-blooded killers, sadists, Indian haters and avaricious landowners who were willing to pay others to do their killing for them. Yet, having accepted Lestat's dark gift, he discovered far worse demons lurking in the dark recesses of some people's minds.

Many, like Perkins, had no compassion for others at all, seeing them only as a means to assuage their greed for possessions, or their thirst for power.

For this reason, Chris found his dark gift of mind reading both a blessing and a curse.

It allowed him to see the good and evil in the people they met, making his selection of a victim far easier as he and Vin meted out a different form of justice to the one they had upheld for Judge Travis. However, often his gift overpowered him with the sheer volume of so many voices crowding into his head, for he could not turn off or mute his newfound ability--yet. So he tended to shy away from crowded places, no longer able to spend a whole evening in a rowdy saloon because of the mind voices that bombarded him.

Without Vin by his side, he might have been tempted to hide away from all people but the balm of his lover's thoughts would wash over him, dispersing some of the darker elements through the brilliance of his love.

Chris turned away from Perkins and sneered, wondering how anyone could proclaim his kind had no soul when there were vampires like Vin Tanner, and humans like Gerald Perkins. He listened as the livery master bellowed to his stable boy to come and take the horses, wincing in growing anger as the man grabbed the frightened lad by his hair and shoved him, viciously, towards Chris's gelding.

Chris reached out and steadied the lad, lips tightening further when he noticed the layers of bruising that spoke of abuse, especially as the kid was not even as old as JD had been on the day they first met. He bit back the words that he wanted to yell at the livery master, knowing they would do more harm than good for the kid, judging by the twisted thoughts in the man's head. Instead, Chris smirked, knowing he had a more permanent way to deal with this man and the three black-hearted bandits he led.

His eyes flicked towards his lover, sharing Perkins' terrible thoughts with Vin, and taking comfort from Vin's loving presence before sending a significant glance towards Lestat and Louis. Chris knew his sire would understand from this look that he had selected their next meal, and he saw the sparkle of pride and pleasure in his sire's eyes, knowing Lestat shared this same dark gift, albeit at a slightly less intensive level.

Louis frowned, keeping his thoughts to himself, but Chris knew the idea of killing did not sit well with his far older sibling. Still, even Louis had to admit that he was starting to look haggard and in dire need of blood to revitalize his body. From the little Lestat had revealed to him, Louis had already discovered that he could not live on the blood of rats alone.

For Chris and Vin, being fledglings in the vampire world, their need to feed was far stronger than that of their two companions, requiring at least three victims each per week to sustain their new forms. However, as they would only take the 'bad element', it had meant moving on frequently to meet that demand. Yet, in these small communities and townships, it was not safe to stay in one place for more than two or three days for fear of discovery, no matter how many potential feeds lay within its boundaries. Instead, they slowly headed westward with their new family, meandering like a river of blood towards the sea, and San Francisco.

Chris smiled at that thought, recalling Lestat's interest in the swiftly growing city. His sire had planned to spend the winter there but had altered his plans to suit the needs of his new children, taking this leisurely journey instead. Often, Louis called Lestat selfish but Chris disagreed for he knew Lestat had his well-being at heart, for Lestat was astute enough to know that he and Vin would not be able to stay in any city for long. There were too many people crowded into too little space within the city. For Chris, the crowds would drive him insane and, for Vin, the lack of open space would be soul destroying.

Vin sensed this thought and touched his arm, smiling softly, with his face glowing with vitality in the well-lit stable, still suffused with blood from their most recent feed.

Yesterday evening, they had left a small village after feeding on a local landowner and his equally cold and ruthless wife, a couple who seemed worse than any plantation owner described by Ezra. The couple worked the villagers from dawn to dusk, handing them a pittance for their labor so the workers were forced to borrow to feed their families. This sent them further into debt, tying them to the greedy couple. In contrast, their son hated the treatment of these people, knowing they were little more than slaves to his parents' greed. Yet, he had been unable to do any more than relieve their suffering where he could, mostly by secretly paying the store owner to reduce his prices, and hence lower the workers' debts.

Chris licked his lips in remembrance of the intoxicating blood that had fed him and Vin, setting the people free to work for the son, who would be a benevolent landowner. Rarely did they feed on women but this one had deserved her fate for the way she forced the daughters and young wives of their _slaves_ into her husband's bed to pay towards their debts. She would sit and watch as he raped them, not even offering them a washcloth to clean with before throwing them out of the house into the darkness and the arms of their distraught families.

For once, Vin had wanted to taste the woman, leaving Chris to overpower the man as he lay in his bed. It had not been hard for either of them, and Chris recalled the excitement of crawling up the bed to place a kiss of death upon the man's vulnerable throat. Behind him, he could hear the woman's soft moans of pleasure as Vin made her final moments exquisite before drinking her to the last drop.

More memories assailed him with their sweetness...

***

Chris shoved the corpse from the bed and pulled Vin into his arms, slowly stripping his lover before lowering him to the tangled sheets. He licked and nibbled a path across the strong torso, sinking fangs into one nipple to taste the fresh blood filling his lover's veins, humming his pleasure against the warm bud and sending quivers through the body stretched out beneath him. Strong hands caught in his hair as Vin arched upwards in pure joy, sharing the spiraling of his senses as the sensations washed over him.

Sex after feeding was glorious, with their bodies thrumming with the new life force, pooling in their groins as they rubbed against each other's firm, blood-warmed flesh. Hard columns of flesh brushed across each other, sending electric shocks of a different need through them as they submitted to the desire for completion. Releasing his hold on the tiny bud, Chris worked his way up the writhing form, forcing Vin's legs back as he pressed his hardened shaft against the opening to his lover's body, and moaning in pure pleasure as he sank deep inside with a single, powerful thrust. Pressing forward, he doubled Vin over as he leaned down to brush a kiss against the ruby-red lips, hissing as sharp teeth nipped at his to release droplets of fresh blood that Vin lapped up eagerly. Hands pushed his head sideways, revealing the curve of his neck and Chris gasped, his senses overloading in sweet pleasure as Vin sank his fangs into the soft flesh, feeding from him even as his thoughts unraveled under the incredible onslaught of his orgasm.

While still caught in the throes of ecstasy, Vin flipped him onto his back, effortlessly, and Chris was unable to hold back a keening wail as Vin pushed apart his legs and penetrated him. Strong thrusts sent him soaring back to heights of pleasure as Vin's climax swept through both of them, body and mind.

They collapsed into a boneless heap as Vin whispered soft thoughts of eternal love enfolded him, promising him forever as a gentle hand caressed his face before turning to press the soft, inner flesh of wrist against Chris's lips. Chris accepted the offered wrist, sinking into the warmed flesh to draw back some of the blood Vin had taken from him earlier, all the while savoring the blend of their victims' blood as his and Vin's thoughts entwined lazily...

***

Chris felt that warmth again and realized Vin was watching him closely with a knowing smile on his lips, so he turned his attention back to Lestat and Perkins. After centuries preying on humans, Lestat had the art of seduction down to a fine edge, casually slipping their plans to depart on the following evening to the greedy livery master. However, Perkins only began to pay close attention when Lestat mentioned that he and Louis would be traveling on alone.

Chris could read the murderous plans formulating in the brutish mind as Perkins glanced slyly at him and Vin. He saw the growing fantasy images of the three other members of Perkins' gang as they ambushed the seemingly defenseless Lestat and Louis. Unwillingly, Chris shared Perkins' anticipated pleasure in stripping the jeweled rings from Lestat's fingers and the fine linens from his and Louis' bodies before he violated them, and then sent both to their premature deaths with a well-placed bullet.

Chris felt Vin's hand touch him again, drawing him away from the stables and towards the saloon where the soft lights and music beckoned. The warmth of Vin's inner smile eased away the sick thoughts as Vin allowed a different scenario to play in his mind, one where Perkins and his men turned from predator to prey.

"Gonna be in for a surprise," Vin said in a low voice that reminded Chris of cool spring water flowing over gravel.

Chris looked at his companion, drawing upon the strength of Vin's love to push away the dark and murderous thoughts until they were but a fading memory. He grinned, knowing Perkins and his gang would soon have their comeuppance.

"Let's go see what else this town has to offer," he replied softly, and pushed aside the batwing doors to reveal a sparsely populated interior, and knowing it was still a little too early in the evening for the majority of mortals. He could envisage the mortals in their daily chores, cleaning away the tools used during the day, and sitting down to eat. Later they would seek what passed for entertainment in this area--beer, whiskey and maybe a woman.

Vin followed him into the saloon and Chris selected a table near the back where Lestat and Louis quickly joined them. He noticed a trail of men going up and down the stairs, singly. On their ascent, they looked eager and filled with lustful thoughts and on their descent, some ten or twenty minutes later, they looked sated. Probing a little harder, Chris saw the image of a single working girl.

"The pickings are mighty slim round these parts," said Vin softly, as he noticed Chris's attention. With only the stage passing through once a month, very few had bothered to try to settle within the harsh environment surrounding this town. With no decent source of water, it was unfit for crops or livestock, and the thin veins of silver were hardly worth the effort of mining.

The four vampires spent the evening sitting in the shadows, talking occasionally but mostly enjoying the atmosphere as mortals danced and drank, enjoying the life around them. Only the brooding Louis held a lingering desire for his former existence, still wishing he could walk among humans as one of them rather than as a vampire. In contrast, Chris had accepted this semblance of life over instant death with relative ease, and he knew Vin had but a few regrets for the loss of his mortality, for Lestat's gift had given them eternity in each other's arms.

By night, they hunted and fed together only when the thirst demanded but, otherwise, they spent as much time as they could just giving pleasure to each other by thought or by touch. They had never needed more than a few words between them in the past, yet now they shared their minds as well as their bodies, with vibrant thoughts merging as they soared into ecstasy.

Chris thought about the depth of love he felt for Vin, knowing it would have gone unrequited had Lestat not passed through the town they protected, for loving another man went against every convention of Christian society. He sighed in contentment. As much as he had loved Sarah, their love had never been as deep and as satisfying when compared to what he shared with Vin now. When he and Vin opened to each other, they shared far more than mere flesh and words. Images in glorious color rippled through them, connecting them to their new world as Vin shared his dark gift of amazing vision, with his keen eyes stripping away the darkness to reveal the richness of the scenes surrounding them.

Often, once they were sated for blood and passion, Chris would lie quietly in Vin's arms and let the poetry in his lover's soul flow through him in the shape of images and words. He still had a copy of Vin's poem, _A Hero's Heart_ , torn from Mary's newspaper, though the words were committed to heart.

 _I stare across that solitary plain, each and every dawn.  
Always searching for a hero's heart.  
A stranger bleeds, his hope lays near death...  
Clutching a tangled wreath to crown a hero's heart.  
_  
Now, he also had the images and emotions that came from Vin's soul.

Soul.

Chris smiled at that thought, and then the smile faltered as he became annoyed that so many believed vampires to be soulless creatures of the night... pure predator with no redeeming qualities or compassion. Perhaps there were vampires with that nature, just as there were humans who seemed to possess no soul or sense of morality. However, Chris knew that he had not lost his soul when turned by Lestat. It was still very much a part of him, lost only to the Christian ideal of heaven, and forced to walk the earth until banished to hell.

"Reckon I weren't ever gonna go to heaven anyways." Vin smiled warmly as his hand rested upon Chris's for a moment before reaching for his glass of whiskey.

Chris gave a wry smile as he picked up his own glass, for neither of them had led particularly sinless lives. Josiah had taken pains to pray for their eternal souls at every opportunity, in the hope that God would relent come Judgment Day, and Chris wondered if that counted for anything now that he and Vin were no longer mortal.

Thoughts of Josiah sent a brief spasm of pain through Chris, echoed within Vin. Leaving their friends behind had been their only true regret but it would have been impossible to stay for they would have soon noticed how Chris and Vin shunned the daylight. It had been better to move on quickly, without long, drawn out goodbyes, and without explanations. Yet, often his thoughts turned to the other five men who had become as close as any family, wondering what they were doing now. Had they stayed together? Did Josiah still work on that dilapidated church at the end of the town? Had JD made Casey his wife? Had Nathan given up on the growing town and gone back to the Seminole village, taking Rain as his wife?

What of Ezra? Had he remained in the hope of turning the saloon and hotel into a strong business, or had he sold up everything and moved back towards those Mississippi gambling boats that he always recalled with such fondness?

Then there was Buck. There had been a time when he thought Buck would move on without him--for once--intending to follow the beautiful Louisa Perkins from town to town, as she tried to turn people against the idea of statehood for the territory. Instead, Buck had stayed behind, too loyal in his friendship to ride away.

 _Some friend I turned out to be_ , thought Chris sadly, wondering if Buck could ever forgive him for riding away without a word.

The briefest touch of a hand upon his brought Chris's thoughts back to the present, and he lifted his eyes to Vin's, seeing all the love and caring reflected back from the gem-like blue eyes.

"Miss 'em, too, Chris."

As the night drew on, the saloon became more crowded, with the cacophony of voices and thoughts becoming too much for Chris to bear. Overall, those thoughts were mundane as the people focused on their daily lives and simple desires but, occasionally, an unsavory thought would grab at Chris. With only a single working girl in the town, the men studied the _strangers_ lustfully, more than willing to mount a handsome man due to the lack of female companionship in these parts.

Most focused their lust on Lestat because of his almost effeminate grace and fine features, unable to see beyond the fine haberdashery and linen shirt with lace cuffs, and the cascade of golden curls framing his too-pretty face. Yet, others turned their attention to Louis and Vin... and to him. Their mind whispers groped him from head to toe, rising in excitement when Chris decided he had suffered enough torment and rose from his seat. Their eyes followed his lean form as he walked towards the batwing doors, deliberating over the tightness of his ass and the fullness of his mouth. He knew what they wanted with those parts of his anatomy for he could see the explicit images of their fantasies projected at him, knowing there was something about his vampire form that intoxicated mortals.

Outside of the saloon, he slouched against the wall in seeming exhaustion before drawing back upright and walking into the shadows of the alleyway. The air was cooler and the voices in his head became muted with distance until they were but a fading memory.

 _Ain't just that vampire form... seen many a man give you a mental grope when we was mortal_ , came Vin's quicksilver thoughts and laugh.

He smiled softly, turning in welcome as Vin appeared suddenly behind him, wrapping his arms around Chris's waist. Chris let his head rest upon his lover's shoulder for a moment, breathing in the rich scent of his lover. Vin understood how difficult it was for him to spend time in crowds, with the thoughts of mortals battering at him constantly. Only with his vampire family did he find true respite.

The sire-child relationship meant that Lestat could not read his thoughts, and he could not read Lestat's, making it a double pleasure for both of them. Though he could read and send thoughts to Louis, this took place only when his sibling wished to communicate. On other times, he found a weak wall there when Louis wanted to be left alone. That suited Chris, whose sense of privacy meant he would never try to break through that wall unless it was of utmost importance. He loved and respected his sibling too much to treat him otherwise.

In contrast, Vin remained open to him constantly, unwilling to raise any walls between them as he shared every part of his being with Chris and, knowing that, Chris revealed all that he was and all that he had been to Vin in return. With any other, Chris would have fled the intimacy but he found his lover's mind a balm to his soul, rippling over him so gently that he knew he could flow within those thoughts forever and never tire of them. There was tranquility in Vin's thoughts, and a deep abiding love that was soothing on his mind as it smoothed the ragged edges of mortal musings.

"Seeing's how we ain't planning a hunt tonight, I figure we could find something else to do... alone..." Vin let his words trail off, letting erotic images flow through their vampire bond instead.

Without giving warning, Chris snatched Vin into his arms and soared away from the dirty street, reaching their daytime resting place quickly.

"Certainly know how to sweep a man off his feet, Larabee," laughed Vin as he was set down by the crypt entrance and then, with a sly smile, he took Chris's hand and led him away from the dark interior, knowing they were far enough from the town to risk making love under the soft starlight. He led them to the edge of a bluff, using vampire speed to sweep away the larger rocks and pebbles until he could lay his buckskin coat down upon the soft sand.

Chris watched Vin from ten feet away, licking his lips subconsciously in hunger as Vin stripped away clothing to reveal silken, unblemished flesh that glowed softly beneath the desert starlight. A mass of brown curls fell to his shoulders, and he pushed them behind his ears, smiling seductively as he beckoned Chris to come to him.

Chris could not resist, dropping his clothes to the dusty ground to leave a trail behind him as he slowly approached. Once naked, he paused within touching distance, feeling no embarrassment at the heated stare that caressed his flesh from his toes upwards. He arched his back as cool hands reached out to grasp his hips, sensing Vin closing the distance between them as Vin drew his hips forward until his hard shaft rubbed against Vin's groin.

He sighed, head thrown back, gazing up into the starry heavens and then gasped as strong teeth nipped at his exposed throat. A velvet tongue lapped at his punctured throat while Vin played with one of Chris's nipples, twisting the small bud between a strong thumb and forefinger as he rubbed the hardened mass of his groin against Chris's equally demanding erection. A hand trailed over the curve of his ass, tightening its hold as Vin began to grind against Chris, making small whimpers as the sensations spiraled between them.

Stars flashed before Chris's eyes, like a mirror shattering into a million tiny pieces, each reflecting the brilliance of the midday sun, gradually fading until only starlight bathed their frames once more.

They sank to the cool earth, wrapped in each other's arms and thoughts as they drifted along with the slowly ebbing pleasure, losing all sense of time until the night moved towards dawn. They returned to the crypt less than twenty minutes before the encroaching dawn, feeling the lethargy of the coming day upon them as they slipped into the emptied stone coffin.

Chris looked up and smiled warmly as Lestat's face appeared above them, offering them sweet dreams through the coming day before sliding across the thick stone top to seal out the deadly sunlight. Inside the darkness of their tomb, neither felt any lingering fear of the dark or of the enclosed space as they wrapped their arms around each other and allowed the new day to send them to sleep.

****

**Next afternoon:**

Buck pushed aside the batwing door and stepped into the drab interior of the only saloon in this backwater town. He sized it up quickly, taking note of the unswept floor and yellowed-with-age and peeling wallpaper. A piano stood in one corner but Buck could tell by the layer of dust on its lid that no one had played it in a long while.

The place seemed as dead as a crypt, with just the barkeep and a single customer offering the only sign of life. He paused for a moment to study the man slumped over a tabletop, fast asleep, with his hand still wrapped around a half full glass of whiskey.

There had been a time when he feared that fate for his oldest friend, forced to stand by while Chris grieved for the wife and child he had lost as he sought oblivion in the bottom of a whiskey glass. However, that phase had lasted but a week or two, and the next time he saw Chris was a month later in a town many miles away, still wearing the dark clothes of mourning but no longer seeking whiskey to drown the memories.

That new Chris was different. Harder. Colder, but Buck could understand that as part of his own soul had died on the day they found Sarah and Adam's charred remains. He had loved them both too, having become part of the small family. More sorrowful still was the knowledge he had taken away with him that last day, as Sarah confided in him after he correctly guessed that she was expecting another child.

Buck knew women. He had been around them all of his life, and he had recognized the glow of motherhood in her cheeks and bearing. She had wanted Chris to be the first to know but had smiled nonetheless, begging him not to say a word to Chris so she could surprise him with the news once they returned from Mexico.

After her death, there seemed little point in telling Chris, knowing it could only deepen the grief to know he had lost an unborn child as well as his beloved wife and son. Instead, he had added his own silent prayer for the small life, growing inside Sarah, which had also died that day.

The sleeping man twitched and moaned, and the drink tipped over, spilling its amber contents across the tabletop but the barkeep took no notice.

Long strides took Buck to the bar in seconds, and he ordered a beer before turning to lean his elbows on the bar top, sizing up the almost empty room. He stripped off his hat and beat it once, raising a small dust cloud that slowly dissipated. Stripes of daylight from the late afternoon sun provided the only illumination, and Buck watched the dancing motes of dust until he heard the soft thud of the beer glass on the bar behind him. He turned and drew some money from his pocket, smiling brightly as the barkeep scooped up the coins.

"Trying to catch up with a couple of friends. Was wondering if they'd passed through here." He smiled warmly, knowing his animal magnetism worked on men as well as women, though he preferred only the soft curves of a woman in his bed.

The barkeep eyed him suspiciously for a moment but then, as Buck hoped, his charming smile and twinkling blue eyes disarmed the man and he watched as the barkeep cocked his head to one side. "These friends got names?"

"Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner."

The barkeep frowned, stroking his chin thoughtfully, and then he shook his head. "Nope, don't recall hearing them names mentioned afore."

"They tend to be a quiet pair." He grinned in remembrance of the long evenings spent in the saloon where, often, barely more than a dozen words would come from either of them. In some ways, it was fortunate that the rest of the seven made up for Chris and Vin's lack of verbosity, with Ezra and Josiah regaling them with anecdotes from the past, or with lively discussions on literature, history and religion... until Buck moved the topic around to his favorite subject of women.

His thoughts sobered, though he kept his smile in place. "One's light-haired, lean, with a preference for dark clothing. The other's got shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes and wears a buckskin coat." He paused, seeing a subtle change cross the barkeep's face at the descriptions, instinctively knowing the man had seen them. Buck's smile faded as he added, "They may be traveling with two other men... one a blond gentleman, the other brown-haired."

This time a light seemed to switch on behind the man's pale eyes. "Saw a group of four men fitting that description in here just last evening. They stayed in the shadows at the back of the saloon, barely interested in whisky let alone company. Caused quite a stir nonetheless. No sign of them since, so they must have moved on."

Buck felt a surge of excitement on hearing this. He had been following on behind Chris and Vin for several months now, trying to catch up with the elusive pair--and the two strangers they had disappeared with from the town that night. Yet, he had hoped Chris and Vin had parted company with those strangers for he had a very bad feeling about them. It seemed most every town those two had passed through suffered with disappearances, though none of the townsfolk ever seemed too upset at the loss as, in all cases, those men or women were the real bad element, destroying the lives and the livelihoods of those around them for their private greed and pleasure.

At first when Buck started on the trail after Chris, he had paid no mind to the rumors of disappearances. At least not until one of the missing turned up dead with his throat savaged and all the blood missing from his body, like a victim from one of Josiah's tales of devil sacrifices. The townsfolk figured a mountain lion had attacked the man but Buck had not been so certain.

When the coincidence struck, he had become afraid that Chris and Vin had never left the small town they once protected, fearing these strangers had murdered them just like the others, with their savaged bodies left to rot beneath the hot sun. Dread had seized his heart and mind, and he had been on the verge of turning back to scour the land surrounding the town, when he realized that he had to go on, if only to take his revenge on the two strangers should they admit to killing Chris and Vin.

Buck was never more relieved than on the day he rode into one town, over a month back, and learned that Chris and Vin were seemingly alive and well... until he discovered they were traveling with those two strangers. Momentary jealousy had overshadowed that relief as he wondered why Chris and Vin had chosen to move on with the flamboyant, blond gentleman and his handsome yet sad-faced companion... but without him.

For the briefest time, he had wondered if he ought to turn back to the friends he had left behind in the town--JD, Nathan, Josiah and Ezra--but then Buck cast aside the doubts and pressed on.

Whether he realized it or not, Chris needed him as a friend and Buck would never let him down. Instead, Buck recalled the many times during the dark years following Sarah and Adam's deaths when he would trail behind Chris, giving the man the space he needed to grieve and yet making certain Chris knew he always had a friend he could turn to. Despite the lack of visible acknowledgement, he knew Chris had appreciated that friendship, no matter how many times he cursed Buck and told him to leave him alone.

These past few years spent working for Judge Travis had seen the life return to his friend, almost giving him back the friend he had lost at that burned out ranch. Perhaps it was just time healing all wounds but Buck could not deny that Vin Tanner had played a part in restoring the Chris Larabee he had known from when Sarah and Adam were alive. Chris and Vin had become firm friends from the moment they met, and if Buck had not known differently then he would have sworn they had been friends for all of their lives rather than for just a few hours at the time he first met Vin.

The passing years had intensified that relationship, with just a few sour moments that Buck assigned to fear at the strength and depth of their friendship so, when Chris and Vin disappeared on that last night, he never doubted that they had left together. Often on the trail, Buck pondered over why they had left, wondering if the pressure Mary placed on Chris to formally court her had something to do with it, or if it was caused by the ever-increasing number of townsfolk brought in by the railway that had left Vin looking like a trapped eagle. Yet, his thoughts always came back to the depth of their friendship and his memories of cowboys who found more love with another man than with a woman.

Despite their preference, most of those men still dressed and acted like men, though Buck knew there was another kind who yearned to be a woman rather than a man. He had only come across one in his time and that was a year back when a traveling show came to town. Buck's ma had called them _funny cowboys_ but he quickly dismissed the idea of catching up with his friends only to find one of them wearing a dress. The thought had made him smirk though, as he recalled the ruse they played in Wickes Town, forcing Ezra into one of Gloria Potter's finest dresses so he could provide a distraction while they rescued Mary Travis.

Still, if the reason they had moved on was that they had taken that final step, becoming lovers as well as friends, then Buck knew he could handle it without disgust. He had seen too much hatred and death in life to find repulsion in a little bit of physical love between two people, no matter what color their skin or what gender. Though that did not mean he was interested in trying it out for himself, not when he had the wondrous curves of a woman, with their heavenly scent, and their delicate touch to excite him.

So, Buck moved ever onwards, often frustrated at losing the trail as the elusive group meandered from town to town, unusually traveling only by night.

What Buck figured out, eventually, was that the group was heading towards the Pacific coast, albeit very slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. He recalled that Vin had once expressed a desire to see an ocean, having heard of them from the books Josiah and Ezra loaned to him as his reading skills increased. They had all seen lakes and wide rivers, but the idea of seeing clear blue water for as far as the eye could see had amazed the Texan.

He took a gamble that the group would continue in that general direction, and asked the barkeep about the towns lying within a day's journey to the west. In addition, Buck asked if he had overheard the group mentioning where they might stop next. Unfortunately, the barkeep seemed disinclined to add any more than a few town names, and Buck sipped at his beer while he watched the barkeep move through the saloon, lighting the oil lamps before the last of the daylight deserted them.

With Chris and Vin so close, Buck was tempted to ride on straight away, knowing the night could take them even further away if he lingered here. Yet, just as he had decided to take a chance on the closest of the towns mentioned by the barkeep, Buck spotted a pretty senorita descending the staircase and his libido rose in greeting. He grinned widely, licking his lips in anticipation as the woman gave a sultry smile in greeting.

"Hey stranger," she purred as one small hand trailed over the front of his dusty jacket. "You looking for a good time?"

Buck captured her hand and pressed the back of it to his lips, his eyes holding contact with hers even though he ached to drop them to the ample, creamy bosom so seductively exposed.

"Just looking into your eyes is a slice of heaven for me, senorita."

She giggled at his words, blushing unprofessionally as his gentle, knowing hands sent shivers of anticipation through her. He leaned in and kissed her ruby-red lips, tasting the greasy makeup, and feeling a giddy young woman replace the hardened whore in his arms as she bowed to the pleasure that could be hers for a change. He swept her off her feet and carried her back up the stairs, taking her back to the bed she had only just vacated.

The sun set as he opened the door to her room and laid her on the bed.

****

Lestat climbed into the compartment of the small coach that he and Louis had acquired for their long trek from the plantations of Louisiana to the intriguing sights of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco. His smile was as bright as always, and his mannerisms genteel as, like Ezra, he preened and ruffled the lace exposed at his cuffs.

Vin could tell Perkins was confused that they would start out so late in the day, at dusk, especially as he believed Lestat and Louis would be traveling on alone. Even to the casual observer, Perkins' seemed far too eager to know where Lestat was headed next, and Vin did not need to ask why for the man's intent was clearly readable from the thoughts Chris relayed from the man's putrid mind.

Reading minds was a gift he did not possess as strongly as his lover or sire and, even then, the gift was strongest between siblings. However, Vin had spent many years tracking men for a living so he could read their body language as easily, and what he saw now would have filled him with anger in the past. Now, it filled him with anticipation for his body was already starting to crave nourishment, echoed by the hunger emanating from Chris and even Louis.

Even though there was no mind link between them--being sire and child--Vin had only to glance at Lestat to see knowledge of Perkins' evil intentions reflected in the clear, blue eyes.

Lestat's smile brightened as he sensed the look and he flicked a glance towards Vin, revealing the hunger and excitement lurking there as he toyed with his prey. Vin knew from that look that Lestat had singled out Perkins for himself and Vin was more than happy to oblige by taking one of the unknown gang members instead.

Vin said his fake 'goodbye' to Lestat and Louis, and then turned away, followed by Chris. He knew from Chris that Perkins planned to take a shortcut that would put him ahead of Lestat on the trail, far enough from the town to avoid any detection. The ambush site was just over an hour away but Vin knew it would take but a matter of minutes for him and Chris to cover that distance as vampires.

To reduce any suspicion against them, he and Chris went to the saloon and took up the same table near the back, staying half-hidden in the shadows so no one would notice the greater pallor of their skin this evening. They sat quietly, surreptitiously watching the passing of time.

"Figure Perkins' men must be in place by now," said Vin as he drained the last of his whiskey and stood up.

Chris smiled and followed him out of the saloon, and Vin could tell that his lover no longer noticed the erotically charged whispers that feathered through his mind as he focused on the task ahead. As soon as they were in the deep shadows outside the saloon, and out of sight of mortal eyes, he and Chris took to the air. They traveled swiftly, following the trail their sire and sibling had taken earlier and landing softly on the rocks above the ambush point.

Vin sensed the presence of four mortals and he grinned as his vampire eyes picked out men from the rocks as if the scene was lit up by the midday sun. Silently, he directed his thoughts to Chris, allowing Chris to pass the information to Louis and through Louis, verbally to Lestat.

They were ready now and Vin gave a soft, breathy laugh as he heard the men cock their guns as the sound of a horse team and coach reached mortal ears. However, their guns would do them no good for none of Vin's kind needed to fear bullets. All four men broke from cover and Perkins fired a single shot into the air, bringing the coach to a halt.

"Mr. Perkins... how unexpected." Lestat smiled pleasantly. "Do I take it we have some unfinished business?"

"Sure do, fancy boy," leered Perkins as he stepped closer. "You see, me and my boys like to wine and dine the ladies just across the border, but that place is a mite expensive. I figured that rig your driving, and them horses would be worth a pretty penny and then some... enough to buy me some time with a very pretty senorita."

"Want them clothes too," added one of his men, a cold-blooded murderer by the name of Joshua Kemp. "Figure that fine linen shirt and velvet jacket would impress the ladies."

"I see... so you want my transportation, and the clothes off my back."

"Hell, pretty thing... we plan on taking more than that," leered Dan Jolsen, and Vin caught the images from the man's mind passed on by Chris as Jolsen mentally stripped and raped both Lestat and Louis.

The last man who, like Ezra, preferred more dignified attire than his cowboy companions did, kept silent but Vin knew from Chris that he was the most sadistic and twisted of the bunch as he saw the man's intentions through their bond. As his preference was for women, Gabriel Kolish had no plans to violate Lestat and Louis' bodies with his own, except with a knife. Instead, he drew his sexual pleasure from brutalizing, cutting and beating his bed partner. With a start, Vin realized that Chris recognized this man as the one who had regularly beat Nora back at Wickes Town. Through his lover's memories, he relived the scene where Kolish had asked Wickes for Nora again and how Lydia had tried to entice the man to spend the afternoon with her instead, willing to protect Nora, even if it meant taking the pain meant for the younger woman.

"He's mine," whispered Chris savagely, and Vin nodded his agreement, recalling Nathan's sadness and disgust at both the old and new bruising and fractures on the young girl's body.

Swiftly, he and Vin closed in on their chosen victim, waiting in deathly silence in the shadows barely ten feet away as they waited for Lestat to finish toying with his intended meal. Vin watched as Lestat stepped down from the coach with arms held out wide and unthreatening.

"I have a far better idea. What if I show you a little piece of heaven... before I send you to hell?" Lestat smiled widely, revealing his long, pointed incisors. He swooped at Perkins sinking his fangs into the man's neck as he lifted him off the ground. Their shocked cries were cut off abruptly as Vin, Chris and Louis attacked their chosen victim.

Through his link with Chris, Vin moaned at the amplified pleasure of feeding, feeling the sweet passion that was almost sexual in nature sweep over him as he drained Jolsen of every precious drop of blood before letting the husk drop to the dusty ground. He grinned, licking his lips in satisfaction as he watched his lover slowly savor the death of Kolish, giving the man more pleasure than Kolish had ever received from his female victims, before sending him to hell.

Even before the body hit the ground, Vin was in Chris's arms, kissing and biting his lover's blood-flushed throat as Chris's hands burrowed beneath the buckskin coat and shirt to scratch across a nipple with sharp fingernails. He gave a guttural cry, flinging back his head as he offered his own throat in return, mewing softly as incisors stabbed into his vulnerable flesh.

The frenzy of longing slowly ebbed as they bathed in the aftermath of mingled blood and ecstasy, placing gentle kisses on lips and cheek and brow, before lapping away the evidence of spilt blood from the already healed bite marks.

As one, they turned to see only Lestat seated close by and Vin laughed aloud at the pretend outrage on his sire's face.

"If you've finished, then we have a little cleaning up to do... once Louis has found a suitable resting place for our... friends."

Vin watched as Lestat went through the pockets of each of the slain men, taking anything of value, for even vampires needed money if they wished to move among mortals. Louis returned soon after and they followed him into the desert, many miles from any sign of civilization, to despose of the bodies where they would quickly decay beneath the heat of the noon sun.

****

By the time he left her warm bed and hot body, half the evening had passed and Buck had put on hold all thoughts of taking up Chris's trail until the morning, having convinced himself that riding through the night was foolhardy anyway. He had not wanted to leave Rosa Lee's welcoming arms at all but he needed to stable his horse for the remainder of the night, though after he had seen to his horse's needs, he planned to return to her bed.

As he walked towards the livery through a darkened main street lit only by a few small fires, he thought about Rosa Lee and the bruises standing livid on her small body, merging with those yellowing from age. He had gently kissed every single one, wishing he could take away all the hurt but knowing all he could do was show kindness.

Buck had never understood why some men had to be so aggressive with a woman, marking their creamy flesh with fists or beating them with strop or belt. It had not taken him long to draw her story from her, feeling his contempt rise for the barkeep, Samuel Thomas, who used a strap to ensure his 'property' did as she was told.

As the evening drew on, she had confided to him about the customer she dreaded most, a sadistic bastard by the name of Kolish who came to her once or twice a week and left her sore for days. The bruising, old and new, had come from Kolish as he punched and slapped her, twisting her this way and that as he took his satisfaction from her abused body.

Buck swore that he would kill this Kolish if he ever laid eyes on him. However, in Buck's opinion, the worse abuse came from Thomas, who insisted Rosa Lee service the next man to come through her door no matter how much she hurt after one of Kolish's visits.

After hearing her story, he had taken the back stairs to the street, unwilling to go through the saloon for fear that he would let his anger run away with him and end up calling Thomas out. He had no fear that he could beat Thomas in a fair fight... but in a hellhole like this, there would be no such thing. Someone would gun him down while he stood waiting in the center of the dusty main street, and what good would that do for Rosa Lee, or for him?

He decided he would return to her bed the same way. He figured if Thomas believed he was paying Rosa Lee for the whole night then she would gain a small respite from the stream of men who queued for the pleasure of having one of the few working girls within ten miles. Instead, he planned to let her sleep in his arms, wanting her to feel safe for the first time in perhaps years.

On entering the livery, Buck waited for the livery master to show, grinning in bemusement when a young man, barely out of his boyhood, stepped out from the nearest stall to greet him.

"Can I help you, mister?"

"You the livery master?" Buck asked dubiously, keeping the smile on his face, though it almost slipped on seeing the blackened eye, having already had his fill of seeing bruises this night.

The kid looked embarrassed and, self-consciously, tried to hide the swollen eye behind one trembling hand. "I'm the stable hand... but Mr. Perkins ain't been seen since early this evening. If you need that horse taken care of, mister, then I can rub her down and feed her for you."

Buck's grin faltered anew as he dwelled on the strange disappearances in other towns but then he handed over the reins, slipping more coins to the young man than would be due in payment for his services. "You see that you take good care of her."

As Buck turned to go, a horse popped its head over the stall divider and Buck froze, his faded grin returning as he recognized the white blaze on its forehead. He walked over and greeted this 'old friend' warmly, feeding Chris's horse a lump of molasses before looking across to see another familiar horse--Vin's.

"Thank you, Rosa Lee," he whispered, recalling his intention had been to ride on, until the pretty Mexican girl's obvious charms had distracted him.

Turning swiftly, Buck strode away from the livery, heading back towards the one place in this town where he knew he would find his oldest and one of his newest friends... the saloon.

****

Covertly, Chris watched as Vin sank into the seat opposite, a smile playing across his lips at the warm glow suffusing the often-pale face. The fine lips were still flushed with the blood from their recent kill and the fingers that brushed his own, faster than the human eye could see, held none of their usual deathly coldness. Not that he minded, for as long as it was Vin's touch then it did not matter to him if Vin's flesh was warm or cold.

He drew in a deep breath, almost tasting the heady scent of his lover while his body thrummed with the pleasure of their earlier coupling.

Making love with Vin was glorious, fulfilling every need and every desire without fear of condemnation or betrayal from his newly acquired family. In the few short months since their rebirth, he and Vin had shared every waking moment, feasting their vampire enhanced eyes and senses on each other's firm flesh to the exclusion of all others, much to Lestat's frustration. Their cries of passion would echo through the darkness as they tasted each other's blood and thrust into willing flesh, taking pleasure no matter whether they were suffused with the heat of a recent kill or as cold as the grave in which they rested by day.

This very evening, when they had awoken with the setting sun already too highly aroused by each other's scent and touch to deny the needs of their bodies, they had made love in the confines of their stone coffin. Afterwards, Lestat had rebuked them, saying their cries could wake more than the dead and bring the living too close to their daylight resting place. However, Chris had seen the glint of warmth in Lestat's blue eyes, knowing the mental link existing between Lestat's three children would have drawn Louis to the height of his and Vin's passion. In turn, Louis would have ravaged Lestat, bringing pleasure to their sire.

Chris's eyes flicked to the other two men sharing their table, recognizing the guilt that filled Louis' eyes that stood at odds to the complete satisfaction suffusing Lestat's face. Chris knew that this had as much to do with this night's kill as with this evening's sexual pleasure for Louis had yet to accept that they had to kill in order to live. Without the blood, their bodies would shrivel up and turn to dust, though, fortunately for Louis, Chris knew the older two vampires did not need to feed as often as he and Vin in order to survive.

By the end of their first century of existence, Chris expected his and Vin's need to have halved to perhaps only three, or maybe four kills a month rather than the current two or three a week. By the time they reached Lestat's age, he believed they would be able to go for more than a month before their vampire forms needed sustenance. Perhaps there might even come a time when they no longer needed to feed at all, though it was unlikely. Still, Chris had no regrets for those mortals who had fallen victim to his new family, for none had deserved to live. In truth, he would have felt no remorse at shooting them down like dogs if he had still been human, and probably would have if they had come to the town that he and Vin used to protect.

Tiring of Louis maudlin guilt, Lestat called out to the barkeep for his finest whiskey and gained instant service, for his sparkling blue eyes and curls of golden hair, along with his exuberance, had already captured the attention of most every person in the room. Lestat lifted his shot glass in salute to his children and then downed the fiery liquid without a grimace, despite the barkeep's finest being little more that rotgut whiskey.

Chris rolled his full glass between his fingers for a moment and then lifted it to drink, aware that he no longer gained the same pleasure from the alcohol as he had in the past. The watery liquid could not compare to the thick, hot blood that warmed him through, and Chris's thoughts traveled back to the human who had quenched his craving this night.

In all the activity to protect Lydia and the other working girls from Wickes, they had forgotten about the man who had started the Seven's involvement. From the perverted man's mind, Chris had found the memories of the abuse he would dish out to Nora. Kolish had chosen her as she had flesh that bruised quickly and easily, allowing him the pleasure of seeing the results of his fists even as he thrust into her unwilling and pain-wracked body. He had enjoyed her suffering, often forcing himself into her mouth, aroused by the tears rolling down her cheeks as he gripped her hair tightly while he thrust into her. Sometimes she would gag or choke on the thick steam of come, giving him an excuse to wrench back her head and slap her face hard. Those were the times he had loved best, staring down into her tear-streaked face as the milky come dribbled out of the corner of her mouth.

What Chris had not known until then was that Kolish had been about to make a deal with Wickes to buy Nora from him so he could have her whenever he wanted. Without realizing it, Buck's intervention had saved Nora from a fate far worse than any death, and that thought made him miss Buck even more.

He raised the glass for another sip, and his hand froze partway as a new mind entered the uncivilized thoughts of the sparsely crowded saloon, knowing who it was immediately but almost believing it was a trick of his mind. Chris flicked the thought across to his eternal lover and watched as Vin turned his eyes in the direction of the door, feeling the echoing pleasure bleed across the link they had shared since accepting Lestat's Dark Gift.

Framed in the doorway was Buck Wilmington, and Chris could not suppress the pleasure on seeing his old friend again.

Lestat sighed deeply, recognizing the new mortal immediately and knowing how deeply two of his children felt for this man. "I have a suspicion I will have a grandchild before too long," he murmured so softly that only vampire ears could hear.

"Chris Larabee, you old dog." Buck bounded up to the table as Chris stood up and Chris relaxed into the bear hug, silently sharing the pleasure of this reunion with his vampire soulmate. He eased out of the frail human arms and smiled as Buck turned to greet Vin with equal enthusiasm.

"Buck..." Chris warned gently as the townsfolk continued to stare in their direction, and he drew his old friend to a seat at the table before indicating to the barkeep for another glass. Chris did not need to know what had brought Buck to this town as he could read every thought that raced through his old friend's mind. He felt a moment of guilt, knowing that he had been the cause of most of his friend's pain as he felt Buck's anguish at being left behind once again without a word. He wished he could tell him why it had been so necessary, and why it had not been such a good idea for Buck to follow him this time, but Chris had to admit that he was overjoyed to see his friend again.

He felt the flutter of Vin's hand upon his shoulder, sensing the warmth of his lover's thoughts and knowing he shared this joy with Vin. The days they had spent protecting that small frontier town had been good times for the most part, giving back a sense of family and belonging to both of them. Moving on had been hard but necessary for they could not feed indefinitely upon the numerous greedy cattle barons--like Stuart James and Guy Royal--and their murdering ranch hands without drawing unnecessary attention to themselves. Moreover, they would find it harder still to give a plausible reason to their friends for only being around during the hours of darkness.

Without volition, Lestat and Louis made their excuses and left the table, leaving Chris and Vin alone with Buck. It was easy to understand why for Buck's thoughts on the two older vampires held so much suspicion as he feared for his and Vin's lives. Before Chris could speak, Buck grabbed Chris's arm.

"Chris... You know I'm not a man given to having bad feelings for another on sight, but I don't trust those two men you're traveling with. Been some strange disappearances most every place they've been, and more so since you started riding with them."

Chris read Buck's earlier fears that Lestat and Louis had killed his missing friends, leaving Chris and Vin's bodies buried in a shallow grave to be dug up by hungry coyotes. He could not prevent the wry smile for, in part, it had been the truth. Lestat had killed both he and Vin, stealing away their mortal life along with their blood. If they had refused his offer of eternal life then Lestat would have dumped their bodies in some remote place, leaving them to the coyotes to eat their flesh and scatter their bones.

Strangely, Chris could see no sinister connections in Buck's mind concerning the increase in the number of disappearances since he and Vin joined with Lestat. Once more, Chris felt uneasy about the way he and Vin killed to survive but he knew they could not take their victims openly, no matter how evil that victim might be. Mortal men would always fear their kind because it was not possible for vampires as young as he and Vin to survive without the warm blood of the living flowing through their veins.

He recalled Louis mentioning the 'little drink', the taking of only enough blood to stay the hunger and yet not kill the victim. However, for a fledgling, or for a weak vampire like Louis, the 'little drink' could lead to madness as they fought against their very nature. Chris knew that, until he and Vin were stronger, they would reserve the 'little drink' only for a time when they could find none but an innocent to drink from, hoping to abate the hunger long enough to find a more deserving victim. So far it had not been necessary, though they had shared a victim on more than one occasion, providing each with enough sustenance to survive until they could hunt again the following night.

"It's alright, Buck. You don't have to worry about them," came Vin's soft response. "We ain't in any danger from them."

Chris felt an intensity of thought aimed towards their table; he captured the angry thoughts from the barkeep that were aimed first at Buck and then up the stairs towards the working girl. Chris passed them through the bond to Vin, noting how Vin flicked his eyes towards the barkeep in response.

"You been playing around with some man's woman, Buck?"

Buck's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose. "Now why would you say that, Vin?"

"Barkeep's staring so hard I reckon he could drill a hole through the back of your head."

This time Chris's eyes widened as he read the vehemence in Buck's thoughts as the ladies' man recalled the abused woman sleeping upstairs. In all his excitement of seeing Chris and Vin's horses and then meeting up with his friends, he had forgotten about the poor girl, but his memories tumbled around inside his head now. Chris read each disjointed, angry thought, piecing together the full story as he realized the girl upstairs had been the sadistic Kolish's most recent victim. He could understand Buck's fury all too well, seeing the underlying pain as her abuse triggered memories of the way Buck had seen his mother hurt by uncaring and unfeeling customers.

"Little lady upstairs has the sweetest disposition... and the softest curves a man could want," he held out his hands as if cupping a woman's ample bosom, and let out a sigh. "Bastard don't appreciate the finer qualities of a woman."

"Ain't your problem, Buck."

Buck shook his head slowly. "No... Sure isn't, but maybe I can persuade the little lady to pack her belongings and take the next stage out of here."

"Always the knight in shining armor," Chris mused softly before smiling at his old friend. "Just a little off-white, like that horse."

Buck relaxed and grinned, recalling the story he used to tell Adam of how the hero was always the knight on a white charger who rode up to save the day. Chris let Buck's memories wash over him, feeling warmth for his lost wife and child that had been missing for many years as he finally understood why Adam had wanted a white horse so desperately. The warmth turned swiftly to ice as he remembered the bitch who had destroyed his former life and then disappeared without a trace. Vin had tried to track her but her trail had gone cold by the time he could return to the ranch to start the hunt, having earlier refused to leave Chris's side until he knew that he would live.

Yet, everything seemed to change once Chris began to heal. Until the night Lestat gifted him with eternal life, bonding his mind as well as his heart and soul to Vin Tanner, Chris had thought he and Vin had drifted apart, losing the special friendship that he had come to rely upon.

Chris thought back to those last few months of their mortal existence, when Vin would ride away for several days at a time, coming back tired and filled with angry silence. He was unwilling to share his pain with any of them, least of all with him, shunning his company and refusing to talk even when Chris finally demanded to know what was eating him up inside after Vin damn near scalped a man for spilling his whiskey.

In truth, when Vin snapped back that he should mind his own business, Chris believed he had lost more than his wife and child because of Ella Gaines. He thought he had lost Vin too, having driven him away that day from Ella's house when Vin tried to tell him that Ella was no good.

It hurt him more than he cared to admit to anyone--except himself.

Losing Vin's easy friendship had struck Chris harder than losing Sarah and Adam, sending him plummeting into depths of despair that were darker than the pit that had swallowed him whole after he found the charred remains of his beloved wife and son. Guilt formed part of that despair as he tried to avoid the pitying stares from well-meaning folk like Mary Travis, who believed he was in shock from discovering the truth behind the Larabee murders.

Eventually, guilt and despair turned to resentment as he fought the urge to tell Mary Travis to take her pity and stick it where the sun didn't shine. He wanted to rage against the loss of his best friend, finding nothing but self-contempt for the way he had treated Vin that day in Ella's house.

Then Vin went missing... and every instinct screamed that something terrible had happened to the man he had refused to admit he loved beyond life and reason until that moment.

Lestat had changed everything. His newfound ability to read Vin's mind revealed the whole truth to him, showing him how much Vin had loved and cared for him from the moment they met. As the sun set on that first day and he awoke, lying in Vin's arms, Chris discovered all that Vin had concealed from him and rejoiced in the knowledge.

Now, he knew why Vin had refused to leave his side as he drifted in and out of fever brought on by the wound, understanding how much had depended on him living or dying. He knew that if he had died from the gunshot wound inflicted by Handsome Jack Averal then Vin would have hunted Ella to the ends of the Earth, never returning until he had his revenge. However, once Vin knew he would survive, Vin had turned his attention to protecting him instead.

On those journeys he had never ridden more than thirty miles from the town as he checked every possible hideaway in case Ella had returned. Vin had feared the scorned woman, afraid she would try to take Chris away from him forever by killing him if she could not have him--and Vin could not allow that to happen. His anger had stemmed from his frustration at finding no sign of the bitch, knowing Chris would not be safe while she lived.

Through that first sharing of minds, Chris discovered that Vin's love for him was an obsession as deep and as dark as Ella Gaines', except Chris had believed that, unlike Ella, Vin would never kill in order to lay claim to the man he loved. He was wrong... but Chris did not feel any anger for the death of his mortal self at Vin's request for it had given him his heart's desire in return.

His thoughts returned to the present and he smiled grimly. Even though they had little to fear from her anymore, Chris could sense Vin's limited mental abilities reaching out for any sign of Ella Gaines as they journeyed westward. After all, she had wanted Chris at her side forever, but Chris belonged to Vin and he did not intend to give Chris up to that bitch--not ever. However, she seemed to have vanished, as though she had never existed.

Buck drank a shot of whiskey, wiping his eyes from the burn of the cheap alcohol. "That's bad stuff. Not only does he mistreat his girl but he mixes the good whiskey with moonshine."

"Least it ain't watered down." Chris gave a wry smile, having tasted the foul stuff but no longer caring about its composition even though it still had the ability to intoxicate him. However, the effects of alcohol were short-lived in his vampire form, even when taken through the whiskey-saturated blood of a chosen victim.

An hour passed quickly as Chris listened to Buck reminisce about the town and the friends they had left behind, with all of them wondering what had become of the others, for Buck had moved on only a few weeks after Chris and Vin. During this time, the saloon filled slowly until it had become quite crowded, with the thoughts of mortals battering at Chris's poor defenses. Guilt filled Chris, for he knew he and Vin would move on again tomorrow after sunset, and that they had to dissuade Buck from following them this time.

As much as he loved his friend, ardently wishing Buck could come with them on their journey and be a part of their new family, he would not offer the Dark Gift to him. Chris knew that neither he nor Vin regretted the day Lestat took their mortal lives; for the pleasure of being together far outweighed the sorrow they felt at knowing they would never enjoy the sun upon their faces again. However, Chris would never deny Buck the chance to live a full mortal life, recalling his own memories of making love to Sarah on a carpet of wild flowers in a sweet meadow, beneath the canopy of azure blue sky. Buck had similar memories of time spent on picnics with various ladies, lying with his head in their laps as he dozed beneath the sun's warm rays.

How could Chris justify taking all that away from Buck? He couldn't. He wouldn't.

Buck deserved the chance to find a woman he could give his whole heart to, one who would give him all the things that Chris had taken for granted when he held them in his grasp--the love of a wife and the pleasure of children. Chris focused on his memory of the beautiful Governor's aide, Louisa Perkins. He knew she had captivated Buck from the moment Buck laid eyes on her, seeing in her all the qualities he adored in Mary Travis--her grace, intelligence and poise--and yet combined with all the heart, fire and passion of Inez Recillos. She had seemed equally enamored with Buck so Chris wondered if Buck would seek her out should his loyalty and friendship no longer bind him. After all, Chris had never held Buck responsible for the deaths of Sarah and Adam. Buck had not twisted his arm and forced him to stay that extra night in Mexico for Chris had been more than happy to spend the evening in the small cantina, being kissed and caressed by the senorita who had caught his eye.

Chris felt his bitterness arise; knowing his despair over Sarah and Adam's deaths had as much to do with his guilt as it did with his loss. While Cletus Fowler was burning down his home and murdering his wife and child in the process, Chris had been dallying in the arms of that pretty senorita, enjoying her kisses and the feel of her ample bosom pressed up against him as he and Buck drank the night away. He had taken his family for granted, forgetting how cruel and unforgiving their world could be, and he had paid for both his arrogance and his sins in their blood.

He pushed away those dark thoughts, praying he would never be so arrogant with the one who held more than his heart but also his soul, for Chris doubted he could survive the loss of Vin Tanner from his side.

"We're riding on tomorrow... just me and Vin."

The hurt in Buck's eyes pulled at Chris's heart but he knew he would have to be cruel in order to be kind to his oldest friend. He stood up, as did Vin, leaving Buck still seated, and both hurt and confused.

"I'm sorry, Buck. It's just the way it has to be."

Buck stood up and followed them out into the street. "Chris!"

Chris stopped, head lowered and eyes closed as waves of pain washed over him, emanating from Buck.

Buck caught up with him after a few strides and his hand reached for Chris's black-clad shoulder, trying to turn him around but Chris stayed firm with ease. This unexpected show of strength confused Buck for a moment, but then he moved until he was standing directly in front of Chris, looking into the lowered face. Buck could not see his friend's eyes beneath the brim of his dark hat but he could see the tightness of his lips and the pallor of his skin.

"Are you sick?"

Chris's head rose, his strangely vivid green eyes flashing as if both surprised and concerned by Buck's words. This added to Buck's fears as he wondered if his friend was pushing him away due to some sickness that he couldn't discuss with him. Buck glanced across at Vin, only then noticing how pale his skin was in comparison to the sun-browned face he recalled from only a few months ago. A terrible thought swept through him.

"Ain't consumption, Buck," stated Chris softly as his lips twitched wryly, and Buck startled, wondering how Chris could have known exactly what he was thinking. Then anger took over once more.

"Then what is it, Chris, 'cause I sure as hell don't understand why I can't ride on with you."

"Let it go, Buck."

Chris brushed past him and Buck snagged the sleeve of his duster, yanking back hard enough to pull Chris off balance. It happened faster than Buck could comprehend but in the next moment, Chris's snarling face was an inch from his own, with his green eyes blazing with unnatural light. Buck saw the sharp points of incisors bared as bloodless lips drew back in anger. Veins shone too readily through the almost translucent skin as Buck's eyes passed over flesh no longer etched with deep lines of grief. Buck had known Chris too long to be mistaken by the physical changes he saw in the man standing before him, and yet it confused him. The man who held him so effortlessly seemed no longer human, possessing the ferocity and strength of a predator rather than the man Buck thought he knew. Yet, Buck could not deny that this was Chris Larabee rather than some pale pretender.

The anger disappeared just as quickly. "Buck... I ain't the man you knew. Not any more."

"What happened to you, Chris?" Buck's voice was almost a whisper as fear stole his voice from him. He shook his head in disbelief as Chris's eyes lost their feral gleam and the fangs disappeared behind the tightly pressed lips. Buck shook his head again, more strongly, as Chris released his tight grip on him, unwilling to believe the metamorphosis of his friend into the inhuman creature that seemed ready to tear apart his throat. Anger grew as Buck's thoughts turned in a new direction. "Did those two strangers do some-?"

"Didn't do nothing I didn't want, Buck."

"And what did you want, Chris?" he hissed vehemently, still shocked by what he had seen and yet still unwilling to believe what his eyes had told him. Even so, Buck could not resist flicking his eyes to the younger man who had taken his place as Chris's best friend, afraid to see the same inhuman changes. He shuddered as he saw the preternatural light gleaming from the blue eyes despite the darkness of the street, swallowing hard as Vin backed away from them slowly, giving Buck a modicum of privacy with Chris. Buck's hand dropped away from the dark-clad arm, still unwilling to believe but too many of the missing pieces were falling into place now as he recalled the increase in the number of strange disappearances since Chris and Vin left with the strangers. Down at the Mexican border, an old man had attributed the disappearances to the undead--vampires, who sucked the blood from the living--saying he had seen them rising from the old graveyard a mile from his Mexican village. Buck had scoffed at the idea at the time, putting it down to an old man's senility. Such stories belonged to cold winter nights, told around the campfire to scare the God-fearing and children on All Hallow's Eve. They could have no basis in fact.

Yet, if Chris and Vin were tailing, or traveling with the strangers, then they had to know something about those disappearances... or be a part of them.

"The missing people from all those towns. You know all about them." He swallowed hard. "No... NO. This is something you're doing for the Judge, watching them strangers-"

"The Judge has nothing to do with us... not anymore. Go home, Buck."

"You just don't get it, Chris. Wherever you are is home to me."

Chris gave a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "What about JD? What about Louisa?"

"You know I love that boy. He's the little brother I never had... but he's courting Casey now, and starting to make plans. You need me, Chris. You and Vin... to watch your backs. Or have you forgotten all about Ella Gaines... and about all those bounty hunters looking for that five hundred dollar reward."

Chris sighed deeply, his head lowering again. He whispered softly, the words barely carrying to Buck. "Can't kill what's already dead."

When he raised his head, staring directly into Buck's eyes, Buck felt a shiver of dread up his spine as some instinct told him that Chris was not talking figuratively. Once more, his eyes passed over the smooth, pale flesh that seemed almost a decade younger to his disbelieving eyes, finally caught by the jewel-like gleam of dark emerald eyes.

"You know what we've become, Buck. You know we ain't human anymore. Just say the word that's in your head, Buck. Give us the name that's on the tip of your tongue."

Buck shook his head, shuddering as Chris's unnaturally cool fingers lighted on his cheek.

"Vampires," Chris whispered, caressing the word as he leaned in and laid a chaste kiss where his fingers had brushed Buck's cheek, his lips quirking into a half smile as Buck flinched away in shock.

"And still you don't believe me, Buck," Chris sighed as he glanced towards Vin, who stood barely the length of a gun barrel from Buck's side, startling Buck who had not heard him approach. Chris stepped back several feet, and Vin moved fluidly to stand beside him, bodies pressed so close they seemed joined from shoulder to thigh. In the light from the street fires, Buck had a clear view of both men, now consciously aware of their sensuality as erotic undertones flowed between the two beautiful men, surrounding them with an aura of danger and desire.

He swallowed hard against the image of these two men lying together naked, with the same unconscious grace and palpable desire tingling the very air around them. Part of him wanted to be embraced by both, tasting the sweetness of their lips as he caressed their ivory flesh, and he took two steps towards them. The thought shocked him, having never felt desire for any man until this moment, and he froze in place, laughing nervously as he recalled Josiah's stories of how vampires lure their victims to their deaths through something akin to his own animal magnetism.

"Hell, Chris, you tell me some fancy story that you're both dead, when I can see you standing right in front of me, clear as day." His words were full of false bravado, almost begging Chris to tell him it was all a sick joke.

Instead, Vin rushed at Buck, using uncanny speed and strength to carry Buck up through the night air and deeper into the desert. Fear filled Buck's eyes as he stared hard at the land passing below at breakneck speed. The cold wind tore at his clothing and hair, his eyes widening in fear as Vin threaded the sharp monoliths of rock stretching up from the desert floor. Tall cacti caught at his pants, tearing cloth and scraping bare skin as Vin swooped low to the ground. Familiar laughter filled the air beside him, the wind whipping away Buck's gasp of shock as he realized Chris was flying beside them with all the ease of a golden eagle. Buck closed his eyes, no longer able to deny the truth of what his friends had become.

The cold wind eased to a gentle zephyr, and Buck's eyes snapped open in panic as the strong arms released him and he tumbled to the rocky desert floor.

"How did you..?" Buck's words faltered as he watched Chris glide slowly from the dark night's sky to land softly on his feet close by. Buck sank to the ground, already knowing the answer to his question.

****

 _Now he knows what we are_ , Vin told Chris silently, gaining only a nod in response.

Vin felt the echo of Buck's fear for his life through the link he shared with Chris but then, just as suddenly, courage and faith replaced that fear. With the flush of the recent kill still flowing through their veins, Vin knew that he and Chris could pass for mortal men among strangers but Buck was no stranger to them. He looked up at them, staring deeply into first Vin's and then Chris's eyes, accepting them in their true form for the first time.

Vin could not help but smile as Buck no longer denied what his eyes told him and he did not need his link with Chris to understand the nature of this new appraisal of them... and of Chris in particular.

When Lestat had made Chris a vampire, he had called upon one of his, perhaps unique, preternatural skills to strip away some of the years of grief from Chris's handsome face. Vin knew he would love Chris no matter what he looked like, for the soul mattered most, not the outer covering of flesh. Yet, Vin knew the artist in Lestat had demanded this attention to detail but Vin could not find it within him to despair at Lestat's aesthetic changes. Still, to Buck, looking at Chris now would be a like looking into the past, back to a time when Chris had been so in love with his young wife and the beautiful child she gifted him.

Chris broke the silence in a low soft voice.

"We ain't the men you used to know. We're cold-blooded killers, Buck. We kill to survive... by drinking the blood of the living."

To Vin, Chris's words seemed unduly harsh but he could not deny that his lover spoke the truth, albeit with some omissions.

"You've had to kill before, Chris... but that don't make you a cold-blooded killer. No matter what else you've become, I know the man I knew is still in there, and that man would never intentionally hurt someone who didn't deserve it. Never has and never will." He looked back at Vin. "And neither would you, Vin." He looked to Chris earnestly. "I won't pretend I understand what you are. All I know is... you'd never hurt me."

Buck spoke the last with such conviction that Vin felt an outpouring of pure love for him, emanating from his soulmate, but Vin felt no jealousy. He recognized the bond of friendship that had kept Chris from falling into darkness during the months following Sarah and Adam's deaths but knew, instinctively, that it could never detract from the deepness of the love he shared with Chris now.

"Let me stay with you," Buck pleaded. "You're all the family I got."

 _One of us could give him the dark gift_ , Vin said through their silent bond. We could find out from Louis what we have to do.

Vin felt rather than saw Chris turn his head at his words, almost wincing at the silent and vehement refusal that struck at him before Chris spoke aloud to Buck.

"Ain't that easy, Buck. What Vin and I got together makes it worthwhile, but there ain't nothing here for you except death. You've got the chance to be someone... a husband, a father. Hell, you already said JD's the little brother you never had. He's your family. Go home, Buck. Go home and live."

Without awaiting a reply, Chris disappeared into the inky night sky. Vin shook his head, his mouth a tight line of grief. "I'm sorry, Buck. He's right."

He leaped away faster than the eye could see, leaving Buck alone in the desert, many miles from the town, and knowing it would take Buck until past daybreak to walk back. Following the mind link, Vin headed straight to his and Chris's daylight refuge, finding Chris standing just beyond with his arms wrapped tightly around his own torso. Vin stepped up behind him, wrapping his arms around his grieving companion and laying his head on one shoulder.

"You did the right thing, pard. He deserves the chance to make a real home and family."

"And what do we deserve, Vin?"

"Oh, I got far more than I ever deserved." Vin knew the warmth of his smile would ease through the cracks of despondency surrounding his companion's mind. His teeth grazed Chris's throat, and he lapped at the tiny beads of blood that oozed from the cut before Chris's vampiric healing sealed the small wound. Vin's shudder of pleasure rippled through their bond, and Vin grinned as Chris's head rolled away to expose more of the long neck. Chris gasped almost silently as Vin sank his teeth into the offered throat while his hands buried beneath the layers of Chris's clothing to toy with the pleasure-hardened nipples. He sighed as Chris's arms dropped to his sides and then reached back to grasp Vin, drawing him tighter to his body.

Vin moaned in pleasure as he ground his hips and groin against the firm curve of his lover's ass, wishing they had the power to make the layers of cloth and denim disappear just by thought alone. Instead, Vin's hands dropped to the front of Chris's pants, deftly undoing the gun belt and letting it drop to the dusty ground at their feet. His fingers eased open the buttons, freeing the hard erection from its cloth prison to spring into Vin's waiting hand. With his other hand, he dragged the pants down over the sweet ass to mid thigh, knowing there were no more layers beneath to inhibit his adoration of the pale flesh.

"Oh... sooo good," Chris whispered as Vin wrapped his fingers around the engorged shaft and slid his hand along the length of the hard flesh from base to crown and then back again. Slowly, he increased the speed as he gloried in the tiny thrusts of the bare ass against his still-clothed groin.

Flashes of light like a billion tiny stars, exploded inside his head as Chris soared to his climax, his seed spilling over Vin's busy fingers. Chris sagged against Vin, his knees buckling from passion and blood loss, and yet he remained unafraid, secure in his love and in Vin's strong embrace as Vin eased him to his hands and knees.

With a laugh of pure pleasure, Vin unbuckled his pants and let them drop to his ankles, his hand reaching out to cup one pale globe of the ass raised high before him, knowing it was his for the taking--and only his. Using Chris's seed as lubricant, Vin thrust into the offered body, crying out in joy as he filled the tight channel. His hands grasped the slim hips for purchase as he thrust harder and deeper into Chris, spilling his seed deep inside as wave upon wave of ecstasy flowed over him.

The intensity of passion eased, leaving him tingling from head to toe, as if every cell in his body had come alive. Unwilling to part from the beloved body, Vin pulled them both over until they were spooned together, quietly offering his inner wrist and gasping as sharp teeth sank into the sensitive flesh. He felt the draw of blood from his veins, rejoicing in the loss as his blood quenched his lover's thirst. He had no fear that Chris would drain him dry; being so attuned to each other in mind and body that each knew when to stop.

Afterwards, Vin wrapped his arms around the strong body, gently playing with an exposed nipple as they drifted in pleasurable silence beneath the soft starlight, only stirring when they felt the pull of the coming dawn upon their limbs.

They hid away in darkness, wrapped in each other's arms as the daylight stripped all awareness from them, leaving them in a world of wonderful, shared dreams.

****

The first light of the new day streaked across the sky just as Buck reached the outskirts of the town. Weary in heart as well as physically exhausted, he stumbled towards the only boarding house. It had been his intention to board there when he first arrived at the town yesterday but events had quickly overtaken him. First, there was Rosa Lee with her obvious charms. Then, when he finally found the strength to leave Rosa Lee's bed to see to his horse's needs, he had discovered Chris and Vin's horses in the stable.

The confrontation with Chris had left a sour taste in his mouth, and he had found plenty of time to think about it as he trudged back across the rugged desert towards the town. He had run the full gamut of emotions on that long trek, from anger to despair and then to nothing as he simply concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other while watching out for rattlers.

He focused most of his anger on Vin Tanner. After all, Vin was the one who had taken him so far into the desert and then left him there but, as he saw the town's street lights flaring in the distance, he had to admire Vin's skill. The Tracker had judged the distance perfectly, barring no accidents befalling Buck on the journey, so he and Chris would have plenty of time to ride as far from this town as they could before the sun rose.

Buck gave a short bark of a laugh at this fanciful notion. Chris had never run away from anything in his life, and he would not start now. Most likely, they had retreated to their daylight sanctuary and would ride on after nightfall this day.

He fumbled in his pocket and handed over payment to the landlady, ignoring her look of distaste at his disheveled appearance.

"First door on the left at the top of the stairs," she said with a hint of suspicion as she handed over a key.

Buck eyed the steep stairs and then pushed away from the counter with a sigh, stumbling towards them. His long legs would normally take him up several steps at a time but all he could do was haul himself up each individual one as if climbing a small mountain. With relief, he reached the room.

Buck dropped onto the bed with a sigh of pain and relief, unable to stop the bitter tears welling in his eyes as he thought of Chris and Vin deserting him. It did not matter to him that he could no longer count them among the living, according to superstition. They were still his friends, and though the night creatures from Josiah's stories were supposed to be inhuman, bloodthirsty beasts from Hell, they had not hurt him... at least not physically.

He thought of them standing side-by-side, close enough to crawl into each other's skin. He thought of the way they looked at each other, the way they moved in harmony with each other, the way they spoke a thousand words to one another without a sound passing their lips.

Demons from Hell? Perhaps... but they still lived and they still loved, and they had let him live. That had to count for something, if only to confirm they had not lost their humanity, their passion and compassion. After all, no one would miss any of those people who had disappeared from the towns Buck had passed through. Every single one had been the kind of lawless scum that the Judge would have sent to Yuma for a long stretch... or to the hangman's noose.

Lord, but he was tired; too tired to think straight any more. He knew he ought to just rest a while and then clean up, perhaps go to the saloon and down a whiskey or two before heading back to the town where he had left JD and the others. On the other hand, he could wait for Chris and Vin in the stable, to say a final goodbye so they could part with fewer regrets, knowing they would return for their horses after nightfall.

Close my eyes... just for a moment, he thought tiredly.

When Buck next took note of his surroundings, he realized he must have slept away most of the day, for the early afternoon sun bathed his room with its strong rays. He tried to rub the grit from his eyes, not needing to look into the mirror to know he looked terrible, even though he had once sworn to JD that it was damn near impossible. However, he had not slept well, for visions of Chris and Vin had filled his dreams, though not in demon form. Instead, he had watched them caressing and making love, bathed in firelight, with eyes only for each other while he sat in the dark, cold shadows, forever outside the warmth of the flames. Occasionally, they would notice him, their demon eyes glowing in pity before desire for each other drew them back into a locked embrace of passion.

Buck rose to his elbows, wondering at the nature of those dreams but knowing it had little to do with sexual desire for another man... not even for Chris. Yes, he loved Chris, but as a brother and no more than that. Moreover, he was astute enough to know the campfire signified the hearth of home and family, something Chris had now obviously found with Vin Tanner. But as for himself...

_You've got the chance to be someone... a husband, a father. Hell, you already said JD's the little brother you never had. He's your family. Go home, Buck. Go home and live._

The memory of Chris's words filled him with despair. For almost four years, he believed he had found a home and family with the men who had formed the Magnificent Seven. Yet, as much as he loved the others, he could not envisage any place being a home without Chris being a part of it. He had shared too much laughter and sorrow with Chris over too many years, drifting from town to town with him before Sarah and Adam, and then following behind him after their deaths, to envisage ever changing that now.

With a snarl, Buck sat up, berating himself for his maudlin thoughts. This would not be the first time Chris had ordered him to go, with Buck's best intentions at heart, but he had not given up on Chris then and he would not give up on him now. They had too much history for him to ride away at the first obstacle thrown in his path. He dropped his feet over the side of the bed and pushed to standing, raking a hand through his unkempt hair before lurching tiredly towards the mirror. Buck winced at the image reflected back at him, knowing JD would be right about how terrible he looked--for once.

Sweat and dust matted his hair, and the same pale grit coated his skin. Even his mustache seemed dulled by the grime covering the fine hairs. His clothes looked equally terrible, caked in sand and ripped in several places from where they had caught on cacti, with his boots scuffed and worn.

"You owe me a pair of pants, Vin," he murmured softly, and grinned at the thought of telling Vin exactly that, feeling his mood improve now he had decided upon a course of action--that of catching up with the elusive pair yet again. He knew he could be very persuasive when he needed to be, and Chris had caved in to him before so he had every chance of wearing him down again. After all, he mused, a razor blade held at his throat had not deterred him then so a pair of bared fangs would not deter him now.

With renewed enthusiasm, Buck stalked from the room and after gathering fresh clothes from his saddlebag, he went in search of the bathhouse, determined to soak off the trail dust and find comfort in the arms of a beautiful woman before he restarted his search. His stride faltered, recalling the only woman in town and her predicament; he decided he would pay her a visit once he had cleaned away the sweat and layers of grime from the desert.

Once freshly bathed, Buck pulled on the clean clothes and headed for the barber's store, stopping off along the way to hand his dirty clothes over to the old woman who took in laundry and darning, and extracting a promise that they would be ready within a few hours. Later, with the three days growth of beard shaved off and with his hair and mustache trimmed neatly, Buck gazed at his reflection in the barber's large mirror and grinned at what he saw.

 _You are one handsome devil_ , he thought with a touch of conceit as he stroked the immaculately trimmed mustache. Buck flipped an extra coin at the barber in thanks and went in search of the old woman, paying her well for the repairs she had made to his torn clothing. By now the sun hung low in the sky, bathing the land in an orange glow as the shadows lengthened. Buck stopped on the boardwalk and watched as the sun began to set. He recalled that vampires were supposed to be creatures of the night and certainly, this explained why Chris and Vin--and the strangers--only traveled during the hours of darkness.

According to Josiah's stories, sunlight, crucifixes and holy water were deadly to the vampire, so Buck knew they would have holed up in some deep cave, as there were no graveyards filled with stone crypts around these parts. He frowned at the strange anomaly. Josiah had also read that vampires could not cross the threshold of a church because it was holy ground... but a graveyard was also holy ground, so surely they could not go in there either? Yet, that old Mexican had insisted he had seen vampires rise from the old crypts close to his village.

As he thought on it a little more, he realized there was another fallacy too, the one where vampires had no reflection because they had no soul, but Buck had seen Chris's reflection in the saloon mirror--and Vin's too.

Do they have souls? he wondered. He shook his head in self-rebuke for even questioning such a thing when he had seen the adoration they held for each other. No soulless creature could hold such passion and desire for another, not even for one of his or her own kind. Certainly, no soulless demon would select only the bad element within the living to feed on, or show mercy to someone considered little more than prey, according to Josiah's myths.

He carried on towards the stable, intending to pack his freshly cleaned clothes and ready his horse for traveling. Chris and Vin's horses were still stabled there and he greeted them with a lump of molasses each, stroking their velvet noses and making promises to see them both again real soon.

He wondered where Chris and Vin would head next. However, he knew from experience that it would be wisest to give Chris at least one clear night to settle his thoughts before Buck approached him again, more assured that he would find Chris and Vin quickly now he knew their secret. After all, he could travel through both day and night whereas they would be limited to the hours between dusk and dawn and, despite Vin's demonstration of their ability to cover ground extremely fast when needed, they could only go as fast and as far as their horses could carry them in a single night. Moreover, he knew they were heading west towards the Pacific, and there were few villages or towns in that direction for the next thirty or so miles--according the barkeep last night.

With his spirits raised, Buck began to hum a merry tune as he carried on walking towards the saloon, already anticipating a few hours of passion in Rosa Lee's arms before he took up the trail again. As he pushed open the batwing doors, the sun set behind him, and he smiled brightly as he saw Rosa Lee coming down the stairs with her eyes for him alone. He met her partway and sighed contentedly as he drew her towards the bar, offering her a drink.

Buck's smile faltered momentarily as the surly barkeep slammed down the glasses and sloshed the whiskey into them, spilling as much again onto the bar top.

"You got a problem with me?"

"Not so much with you, mister, as with that whore beside you. Owes me money, and she ain't making any by ignoring her customers and spending all night with you. So... unless you're planning to pay for her charms then you'd better get on that horse of yours and get riding."

"Sam, he's gonna pay. Ain't you, honey," she said softly, trying to placate the brutish barkeep. The hand came from nowhere, smacking against the woman's face and bloodying her nose but Buck grabbed the barkeep's wrist before he could slap Rosa Lee again.

With a snarl, he hauled Thomas over the bar and threw him down on top of a dirty table, leaning in until his nose was almost touching the barkeep's.

"Don't like the way you treat a lady, mister. So, if I was you, I'd apologize before I do something I won't regret."

Buck startled as a body slammed into him, feeling Rosa Lee's fists pummeling against his back as she screamed at him to get off Thomas. He pushed away from the barkeep, twisting round to grab her arms.

"Whoa. Hold on, Rosa Lee."

One hand slipped free of his grasp and smacked against his face, dislodging his hat but he caught her wrist, still trying to placate her with soft words.

The intense pain in his back caught him by surprise and he arched away from it, gasping sharply. Rosa Lee froze as his hands, inadvertently, tightened their grip on her slim wrists. He stared deep into Rosa Lee's frightened and confused eyes before letting her go, barely registering the faltering steps she took backwards away from him as his hand curled round his body to locate the source of the pain in his mid-back.

His fingers found wetness and he brought his hand back to examine it, shocked by the vivid red coating his fingers and palm. Turning, he came face to face with Thomas, finding an evil smile curling the barkeep's lips and a crazed light in the man's eyes. Buck glanced downwards, attracted by a glint of light reflecting off metal, to find a bloodied knife held tight in the barkeep's hand. He tracked a droplet of blood as it slid to the tip of the blade, watching in morbid fascination as gravity took hold and pulled it to the floor to mingle with the other droplets already lying there.

Buck coughed as a terrible sensation of drowning filled him, tasting blood foaming in his mouth. Even through the shock, Buck understood what had happened. Thomas had knifed him in the back, with the blade nicking the lung; he was slowly drowning in his own blood.

Thomas laughed softly. "If I was you... then maybe I'd apologize before I do something more I won't regret... Cowboy."

"You bastard," Buck choked as his hand fumbled for the gun at his belt, only to feel another sharp pain as the barkeep's arm swept up, thrusting the knife deep into Buck's stomach to the hilt before pulling it out again. Buck's gun fell from useless fingers, landing on the floor with a dull thud as one hand clutched at the gut wound while the other curled his fingers into a fist. Snarling, Buck swung at Barkeep's smirking face, missing as Thomas stepped back out of his reach with relative ease. Buck caught at the table with one hand, barely managing to keep his feet under him, his eyes rising to locate Thomas but falling upon the open doorway instead.

The red of the sunset crept into the saloon, like a bloodstain growing across the floor, slowly engulfing the pool of his lifeblood, and Buck's thoughts turned instantly to Chris. With one hand pressed against the gut wound, he staggered through the doorway and into the street beyond. He tried to steady himself with his other hand, clutching at the door frame and then the upright before falling off the boardwalk onto the sand-covered main street.

He fell to his knees, looking down at the blood seeping through his fingers to drip onto the ground beneath him, and feeling the heat of his blood as it flowed down his back from the first wounding. As the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, Buck cried out in need and despair, as loud as his blood-soaked lungs would let him.

"Chris!"

****

Chris's eyes snapped open as the sun set, with a chilling sense of foreboding filling his heart with dread. Quickly, he felt for the man lying in his arms, relieved when Vin murmured appreciatively and snuggled closer. Cool lips nibbled at his throat, and he sighed as sharp teeth grazed the flesh, but he could not shake the unease that had called him so abruptly from his daytime sleep.

"Ain't like you to be the first one awake, Larabee," murmured Vin as he continued his assault upon one ear, nibbling on the lobe and rimming the shell with his tongue. Chris felt the soft vibration of Vin's laughter against his ear, sending ripples of pleasure through him from the touch. He thoughts strayed to Vin's teasing, fully aware that he felt the pull of the sun far more than his three companions did. Vin had once teased him, saying he slept like the dead, and now Vin laughed at those strangely prophetic words as he sensed them in Chris's thoughts. However, Chris would not be sidetracked, not even by such pleasant thoughts and wondrous sensations emanating from his lover.

"Something's wrong," he whispered harshly even as his fears swept through Vin's mind.

Vin froze, senses merging with Chris's as they reached out together through and then beyond the deep, dark cave in which they had slept away the cruel hours of sunlight. Their mental probe found Louis seated near the cave mouth and, through him, they learned that all was well with both him and Lestat. From Louis, they gathered no sense of any activity beyond the cave that would give them cause for alarm and, certainly, Chris could sense no mortals close by.

Slowly, he extricated himself from Vin's arms and then moved swiftly to his feet, racing through the cave to stand with Louis by the entrance, knowing Vin would be right behind him. He felt Vin at his back and relaxed into the strong arms of his lover as they wrapped around him, letting his head fall back upon Vin's shoulder, nuzzling cheek-to-cheek.

Although the immediacy of this possible threat seemed to have passed, Chris could still feel a gnawing sensation in his gut that warned him something was wrong. He snarled in frustration, drawing away from Vin and pushing through the thorny scrub that concealed the entrance to the cave. Chris stepped out onto the ledge beyond and stared across the darkened plain set below them, seeing it as clearly as though it was bathed in daylight. In the distance, he could see the small town where they had stabled their horses, with his vampire sight capturing the tiny flickers of street fires as each was lit in turn.

Lestat appeared beside him without warning, his arm draping over Chris's shoulder with an intimacy that Chris would never have accepted from any man in the past... except, maybe, from Vin Tanner... or possibly as a friendly gesture from Buck. However, Lestat was his sire, and he loved him, though that love could never compare to what he felt for Vin Tanner. Still, he turned into the embrace with a welcoming sigh, melting into the kiss bestowed upon him.

A hot tongue thrust inside his mouth, tasting him, battling with his as Lestat kissed him ardently. Then Lestat broke away, his lips trailing over Chris's chin and jaw before sucking and caressing his throat. Chris gasped sharply as Lestat's teeth pierced his vulnerable throat, sipping at the welling blood before drawing back to offer his own throat in return. He needed no second bidding, teeth grazing his sire's throat before sinking into the heated flesh, taking sustenance as well as a sense of belonging from the rich, hot blood that poured into his eager mouth.

Visions of a mortal filled Chris's mind, showing snapshots of a despicable life cut short by Lestat's untimely intervention. Yet, within these visions, he sensed his sire for just a moment, feeling the vibrancy of a bond that should no longer exist between them. The tenuous link broke almost as soon as he felt it but Chris knew Lestat had experienced it, and Vin and Louis, too, through the bond they shared with Chris.

Chris stopped at a mouthful, grinning happily as Vin joined them at Lestat's bidding, and watching as his lover took a generous sip from their sire before drawing away. Lestat's wounds closed instantly, and Chris lapped at the spilled blood, aware that Vin was doing likewise on the other side of the beautiful throat.

Chris smiled as Lestat grasped his face in both hands and drew him into a kiss that was more of gratitude than a lover's caress, before stepping away to just within arm's reach. He understood Lestat was thanking him for that tiny moment of sharing with his children.

Eagerly, Vin reclaimed his place in Chris's embrace, for even though Chris knew Lestat could never be a serious threat to their relationship, he also knew Vin could not help the possessiveness that flooded through him whenever another touched him, be they mortal or vampire. Vin gave a wolfish grin as Chris shared those thoughts with him, tightening his grip around Chris's lean, black-clad frame, aware that Chris had no objections to being the object of his desire.

Vin smacked his lips as the fresh, hot blood coursed through him, smiling back at Lestat.

"Won't bother asking how you found someone this close, right at sunset," Vin said with a shake of his head and a soft laugh. His expression became serious as he turned to Chris, "But maybe that's what spooked you, Cowboy."

"Maybe," Chris nodded, still not entirely convinced and yet wondering if Lestat's victim had come too close to their sleeping place, perhaps intending to use the cave as a night time resting place. Still, Chris had felt no signs of an intruder actually inside the surprisingly deep cave, though he had not been looking too closely for physical signs such as footprints, but seeking the mental signature of a mortal, instead.

"Weren't killed in the cave," Vin stated, as he answered Chris's unspoken thoughts. "Would have smelled the blood."

"Are you accusing me of being a messy eater?"

Vin laughed as the indignation on their sire's face melted into impish pleasure. With his everlasting, youthful beauty, and his boyish humor, it was easy to forget that Lestat was centuries old and more powerful than the rest of them combined. Yet, he had not lost his enthusiasm or his sense of humor.

Silently, Chris wondered if Lestat had already been awake just before the sun had set, quickly exiting the cave at the very moment the sun dipped beneath the horizon so he could protect his children from harm. Despite Louis' lamentations on Lestat's shallowness and on his flair for the dramatic, Chris had seen a deeper, abiding love within Lestat for all his children, even those who no longer traveled with him, and for those who no longer existed.

When Lestat first gave him the Dark Gift, Chris had shared all of Lestat's pain of loss, for only a short time had passed since the death of the child-vampire, Claudia. He understood all too well, the grief of losing a child, as he recalled his beautiful son, Adam. He knew Lestat hid his grief beneath a showy facade, one that even Louis could not fathom, but Chris had seen into those depths, knowing them intimately from his own mortal experience.

Before he could dwell on this further, Lestat reach out and brushed his fingertips across Chris's lips as to silence the internal words.

"We move on tonight," he stated before slipping away to ready his belongings. No one argued for it was the safest course of action, and one that Chris had intended to suggest if Lestat had made no mention of it first. Louis followed after Lestat, leaving Chris and Vin standing alone on the ledge, looking across the plain to where the town was gaily lit with welcoming lights.

"We gonna say goodbye to Buck?"

"Said all we had to say last night. Ain't planning on changing my mind." Chris turned in Vin's arms and grinned broadly. "Still, I figure we ought to check he made it back to town after his walk across the desert. Would hate to learn different."

"Hell, you're going soft in your old age, Larabee."

"Ain't as old as you now," he retorted as he took to the air.

"I ain't talking vampire years..." Vin called out after him. "And a day hardly makes no difference, anyhow," he added softly, knowing his thought would reach the distant figure, but he grinned at the idea of being the older of the two of them in vampire terms, if only by a day. "Hell, who am I kidding... a day makes a big difference. Makes you the baby here, Larabee."

Vin snickered as he heard Chris's rude, answering thought, and then sped off after his lover.

****

Vin came to rest at the edge of the town beside Chris and together they walked into the livery, intent on telling the stable boy to get their horses ready to ride. Inside, the boy seemed uneasy to see them and Chris sensed there had been trouble in the town only a short while earlier. From the boy's mind, he could picture a disturbing scene, watching as a shadowy figure of a man staggered from the saloon to fall to his knees upon the dirt of the main street. In the last of the daylight, the boy fancied he could see blood oozing between the man's fingers as they pressed tightly to his belly. Behind him, the barkeep, Thomas, laughed sadistically, wiping the blade of his small hunting knife on his apron, leaving streaks of blood against the beer-stained cloth.

Several men rushed from nearby stores and alleyways, mostly to steal whatever possessions they could, while others carried the dying man away towards the funeral parlor that also acted as a makeshift clinic.

Chris looked through the open doors of the stable into the street beyond, his eyes automatically seeking the funeral parlor where he could see silhouettes in frantic motion, and hear weak cries of pain beneath the slightly louder commands of the healer. Such events were commonplace in frontier towns like this, where the law had yet to gain a strong foothold, and they held no true interest to Chris except for the waste of good blood.

The boy put into words some of the thoughts Chris had read from his mind. "A man got himself stabbed just a while ago, and I figured you might know him 'cause he seemed mighty taken with your horses... greeting them like long lost friends."

That sensation of dread came back to Chris with full force, and he clutched at his chest as if someone had tried to drive a stake through his heart. Worried, blue eyes held his before turning back to the stable boy as Vin confirmed their worst fears.

"This the same man who rides that big gray?"

"Yes, sir."

Barely restraining the urge to move with inhuman speed, Chris turned on his heel and raced from the livery, heading straight towards the funeral parlor. Vin beat him to the door, and pushed inside only a step ahead of Chris, with both of them freezing at the tableau set before them.

Buck lay partly curled up on his side on the table with his back to the door. They had removed his coat and upper clothing, revealing his blood-streaked flesh. One man pressed a cloth against the wound in his back and Chris shook with hunger and fear at the overpowering scent of blood that seemed to cover every surface. A man who served as both healer and undertaker in the small town, worked valiantly upon the gut wound while others tried to hold Buck down as he thrashed weakly, but the healer could not stem the flow. Chris could read the despair filling the healer's mind, in knowing he could do nothing to save the mortally wounded man placed in his care. As Chris watched, the man stepped back from the bloodied mess on the table, with his thoughts turning from doctor to undertaker as he started to size up Buck for a coffin.

"No!" Chris swatted aside the mortals as if they were flies buzzing around a lump of fresh meat until he stood in front of his friend. He grasped Buck by his shoulders, willing the blue eyes to meet his as Chris clawed through the intense panic and pain to reach his old friend's thoughts.

"Chris!" Buck called weakly, his fingers finding renewed strength as they tightened on Chris's arm. Red bubbles formed on his pale lips and Buck coughed, spewing fresh blood that coated his lips and trickled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were wide, with fear competing with the relief of seeing Chris.

"Don't... want to... die. Please."

The healer moved in, grasping Chris's arm to try to pull him away from his dying friend but he fell back in shock when Chris turned swiftly on him, baring sharp, white teeth. With his face a pale mask of horror, he fled, causing a stampede as the remaining mortals rushed for the door, desperate to get away from the inhuman creature that had taken the form of a man. Vin slammed the door behind them before rushing to Chris's side.

"Ain't gonna take them long to gather up some courage and come back for us."

"Chris! Don't leave... me."

The weak plea wrenched a cry of pain from Chris and he leaned in to embrace his friend, rubbing his face over one blood-slicked cheek before kissing the bloodstained lips. His telepathic senses flared brighter still as the fresh blood coursed through his veins, linking him to Buck more intimately, and he fell into the maelstrom of emotions where Buck's loneliness, betrayal and brotherly love vied with the fear and pain of his approaching death.

"Ain't gonna leave you, Buck."

He gathered his friend into his arms and carried Buck from the parlor, relying on Vin to stop anyone brave enough to cross their path. Then he took to the air, quickly disappearing into the night with Vin following.

Uncaring who might see him as he flew from the small township, Chris wasted no time in carrying Buck across the plain towards the cave, focusing in on Louis in the sure knowledge that Lestat would be with him. He knew his sire had lived for centuries, and he prayed Lestat had picked up some valuable healing techniques over those years for Chris could not bear the thought of losing Buck so soon. He found his thoughts turning to Nathan Jackson, wishing he could take Buck straight to the healer but, even with his vampire strength and speed, Chris knew he could never carry Buck all the way to the Seminole village before the sun rose, even if Buck could last that long.

Lestat was Buck's only hope.

As he held his dying friend in his arms, Chris could feel the stickiness of Buck's blood as it seeped through his clothing to smear across his flesh, and he could taste the metallic nectar from the kiss bestowed upon the blood-coated lips. The cloying scent and taste of the blood should have made him feel ravenous but fear for his oldest friend drove all thoughts of hunger from him.

He landed softly and took Buck inside the cave, laying him down upon the soft bedding that he and Vin had slept upon during the cruel hours of daylight. He used a saddle to prop Buck up, to ease the sensation of drowning emanating from within his friend's almost chaotic thoughts. The makeshift bandages were soaked in blood, unable to stem the flow from the mortal wounds and Chris held Buck as Vin ripped up one of his shirts to use for fresh bandages. Lestat appeared by Chris's side with his blue and steel gray eyes shining like hard gemstones as they focused on the mortally injured human. His lips were thin and bloodless despite his earlier feed, compressed by his tightly reined-in anger, but Chris held no regrets at bringing Buck to him. Lestat's words were clipped.

"He is dying. There is nothing I can do to stop that... so you have but two choices. Take him back to the town and let them afford him a Christian burial... or feed on him so his death will not be a waste."

Shock turned to anger at the very thought of turning his oldest friend into his latest meal. Chris snarled and bared his fangs, leaping at Lestat only for the stronger, more powerful vampire to knock him aside with one sweep of his velvet-clad arm. Lestat moved even faster than Chris anticipated, grabbing him by the throat with one hand and hauling him up until their noses were barely an inch apart but, instead of anger, Chris read remorse in his sire's eyes. The tight grip eased as Lestat's other hand reached up to cup and then caress Chris's cheek and chin before Lestat closed the distance and kissed him chastely.

Chris closed his eyes as his anger left him, accepting Lestat's apology. When he opened them, he looked deep into Lestat's melancholy blue-gray eyes.

"He *is* dying... and I can do nothing to prevent that beyond making him one of us... and that I will not do."

Lestat had been his only hope, and with that hope dashed, Chris knew Buck had no mortal future. There would be no loving wife and no brood of little Bucks playing at his friend's feet. His friend would never know the joy of family, hearth and home for, even in his darkest hours, when the memories of Sarah and Adam's senseless deaths weighed upon him, Chris had never denied the joy of those too-few years spent together. He had wanted the same for Buck. He had not wanted him to give up his mortality when he had so many years of living ahead of him, so many opportunities to meet the woman who would steal his heart, just as Sarah had stolen Chris's that first day.

The circumstances had changed dramatically, and the only way left for Buck to exist was to become a vampire. Chris gave a ragged sigh and nodded, accepting the inevitable as Lestat lowered him and walked away. He felt Vin at his side and sent reassuring thoughts to his lover to let Vin know he was okay. Vin grasped his chin, drawing his face around until their eyes met, and then he leaned in to offer physical comfort with a soft kiss.

Once more, Lestat had been Buck's greatest hope for continued existence but they could no more force the centuries old vampire to make another than they could command the sun not to rise in the morning.

Chris had known from the start that Lestat would never agree to make another vampire so soon after he and Vin--except on a whim--and the set of Lestat's countenance showed that would not happen here.

Last time, the soul deep love that Vin held for him had intrigued Lestat. When Lestat's thoughts had merged with Vin's as he drained him of his mortal blood, he had shared the depth of Vin's devotion and love for another mortal man, and he had witnessed Vin's desire to spend all of eternity with Chris Larabee. Even though the sire-child bond had broken the psychic link, Lestat had not been able to shake the desperate need within him, which he had rediscovered through his new child. Vin's need had revealed Lestat's own considerable loneliness, and his deepest desire to find the companion of his heart and soul. That companion should have been Louis, and yet, for all their passion, both were left wanting for more, unable to reconcile the differences between them. However, Vin's longing had intrigued him as he wondered if that love could survive mortal death, and if the object of Vin's desire would offer it as freely in return.

Without that intrigue, he would have resisted Vin's pleas for Chris to join them in their dark eternity. Yet, he had needed to know if it was possible for love to survive, if only to give him hope of one day finding his own eternal companion.

Chris had seen all this in Lestat's thoughts as his merged with Lestat's during the last moments of his mortal existence. He knew it was the spark of forbidden desire and the heat of Vin's passion for him that had sealed his fate that night many months ago but, although Chris loved Buck deeply, almost as a brother, he knew Lestat would not view it the same way.

However, all was not lost yet, for there was still one other vampire close by whom Chris knew had the strength to turn a mortal; his thoughts turned to Louis. Louis had made another only once before, and that was on the demand of his long-dead sister, Claudia, as she begged him to do for her what she could not do for herself due to the weakness of her child-vampire form--to give her an eternal companion. Louis had relented, only to see his sister and his child murdered just a few days later.

Unwilling to let Buck slip away into true death, without making every attempt to keep him by his side, Chris wondered if Louis could be persuaded again, by another of his siblings. As he nurtured the idea, Chris sensed Vin's thoughts and frowned as Vin made an offer.

"Be better if I asked Louis."

Chris pursed his lips, knowing Vin had a stronger bond with Louis than he did, forged through their similar natures with both of them so pensive and sensitive. With reluctance, he agreed to relinquish that task to Vin.

Chris knelt down beside the dying man and touched Buck's hand, feeling a coolness in Buck's flesh that had no place upon the living.

"He's getting chilled from the blood loss. I'll start a fire."

They parted at the cave mouth, with Vin seeking out Louis while Chris quickly gathered enough wood to warm the interior of the small cavern. Once the flames caught at the kindling, Chris sat back down, whispering soft assurances that he would stay by Buck's side until the end of his friend's mortal life.

****

Vin sensed Louis at the top of the mesa, looking across the plain to the nearby town, and he approached him swiftly, sighing as he recognized the melancholy air that enshrouded Louis. He reached out and gently stroked the soft auburn curls before leaning in to kiss Louis' cheek, knowing there was no one about to see his little indiscretion.

"I know what you would ask of me... and I cannot."

"I know... which is why I ain't gonna ask you." He took a deep breath. "But can I?"

Louis turned, his expression showing first puzzlement and then realization. "You think to turn him yourself?"

"Can I?"

"I don't know... I don't believe even Lestat would know if it was possible for one so young to make another. The danger lies in control, in taking until the mortal lies close to death and then giving back until the vampire lies close to eternal death." Louis shook his head and Vin knew it was in remembrance of Madeleine, and of how close he had come to failing Claudia as he drew too much blood from the mortal woman who would be his sister's eternal companion. "Anything less would create a monster, and anything more would destroy either your intended child... or you."

Vin sensed his fear and knew he could not allow Chris to take that risk even if Chris demanded it. Both of them were so vulnerable in these early years, where the slightest touch of sunlight or the lack of fresh warm blood flowing through their veins could see their eternal damnation through absolute death. Even so, he knew it was more likely that whoever offered the Dark Gift would drink too much and kill Buck in the process, especially as Buck was already so weak from his injuries. Vin sighed softly. He could not allow Chris to suffer through all eternity with that fresh stain of guilt on his already over-burdened soul.

"I got to try, 'cause if I don't then Chris will... and I can't risk losing him."

Louis looked away across the open plain, with his eyes glowing with even greater sorrow, but he opened his mind to Vin and allowed him to take the knowledge from his one experience of making another vampire.

Vin gasped at the pain of those memories, seeing Claudia and Madeleine through Louis' eyes and feeling Louis' love for both his sister and his child. He felt Madeleine's soul within him as he shared Louis' remembrance of her last mortal moments. Then he shared the rage and grief of Louis finding them locked in a final embrace. The sun had turned them into a statue of dust that held its form only until a single touch from his finger dispersed them forever. The dust had collapsed upon the ground, to be scattered by the slight breeze forever, leaving him truly alone for the first time since his rebirth as a vampire.

When Louis closed off his thoughts, Vin felt relief. He had all that he needed to know about the process, and he no longer wished to dwell within the dark grief filling his far older sibling's mind.

Vin hurried back to the cave and sat down beside Chris. He closed his eyes and allowed Buck's thoughts to flow over him through the bond he shared with his highly telepathic lover. Within those thoughts he sensed Chris's, and Vin drew upon Chris's almost hidden desire to retain this link he was sharing with Buck--a link that could not exist between sire and child--to convince Chris to let him be the one to offer the Dark Gift to their friend.

Deliberately, Vin hid Louis' fears as he offered this gift to his eternal companion, smiling at the flood of pleasure from Chris and knowing he had made the right decision for both of them. He knew Chris would be angry with him later, once he revealed the truth of how dangerous this would be for both him and Buck, but it was a risk he was willing to take in order to keep Chris safe from harm.

The corner of Chris's mouth quirked upwards as he sensed Vin's determination to be the one who gave the Dark Gift to Buck, being too caught up in Buck's approaching death to delve deeper into the reasons.

"He ain't got long left... an hour at best," Chris murmured softly, barely taking his eyes from Buck's as if afraid Buck would lose his tenuous hold on mortal life should he look away.

Buck's weak voice called to him and Vin leaned in closer, even though his acute vampire hearing made that unnecessary.

"Was a time when I... was a mite... jealous of you... for taking my... place." Buck gasped, his breathing harsh and shallow. He coughed, with more blood bubbles foaming on his lips. "Glad now. He needed you... and you needed him." He coughed again. "Take good care... of him... for me."

"Figured on you sticking around a lot longer, Buck," Vin said, hiding his fear behind a smile. "Hell, as Ezra would say, the man's high maintenance. Needs more than me to take care of him."

Vin heard the soft laugh from both his lover and his friend.

"How about we clean you up some," he murmured softly, for Buck's benefit, while he sent silent thoughts to Chris.

Vin did not know if he had the strength to alter Buck's appearance in the same way Lestat had rejuvenated Chris. Deep down, he knew he was already taking a great risk just by offering the Dark Gift to their dying friend but he kept that though well hidden. Instead, he mentally joked that he did not want to spend eternity hearing Buck curse them both for making him a vampire with a five o'clock shadow and a shaggy mustache but, as they cleaned away the dirt and dried blood, he realized Buck must have visited the small town's barber only a short time before Thomas stabbed him.

Without warning, Vin drew Chris to him, pressing his lips against cool flesh as he paid homage to the beauty of his lover. His mouth sought Chris's, kissing him deeply, pushing inside to stroke along teeth and palate, to coil around the submissive tongue as Chris gave him complete control. One hand tangled in the short, golden strands of his lover's hair, increasing the strength of his kiss as he plunged into the welcoming mouth, losing himself within the taste and touch of his lover.

He pulled away just as abruptly, realizing how close he had come to opening all his thoughts to Chris and revealing the terrible risk he was about to take. His words were tremulous.

"Just so's you know this don't change a thing between us, Larabee. You're still mine... and I'm still yours."

"Ain't never doubted that, Vin."

Taking a deep breath, Vin turned to Buck and offered him his hand. Weak fingers reached up to grasp it and pain filled eyes no longer showed any amazement at the supernatural strength as Vin pulled Buck into his embrace. Vin faltered, suddenly afraid that he could not do this. His eyes darted over Buck's shoulder towards Chris, seeing concern turn to confusion as Chris started to probe into his mind. Buck's quiet words of trust and reassurance cut through Vin's fear.

"I ain't... stupid. I know love when I..." Buck moaned softly in pain, "... when I see it... and I can see... when two people have been... close... with each other. Hell... I was raised in a brothel."

"And your point?" Chris asked softly, even though he would already know the answer from reading Buck's thoughts. All Vin could surmise was that Chris wanted him to hear the answer from Buck's own lips.

"What you share... don't bother me none. What you got was... always special... and I'd be a fool to pretend otherwise... and if what you got has made you happy... then I'm happy." He coughed weakly, dredging up a smile despite his pain. "Now, Vin... forever may be... a long time... but... I'm getting... a little tired of waiting... for it to start."

Chris laughed softly, even though they both knew Buck was trying to fool them into believing he was not scared half to death. Buck's head sank down on Vin's shoulder, too heavy to hold up in his weakened state and Vin leaned in once more, this time letting all his vampire senses enfold the mortal man. He felt Buck respond to his nearness, overpowering all Buck's defenses as his victim's body began to yearn for Vin's special touch.

Vin knew he had to remain in control, grateful that he had fed the night before, for that had taken the edge off his hunger temporarily. Still, the scent of the blood flowing through Buck's veins was intoxicating, making him feel lightheaded as he sank his fangs into the clean-shaven throat, his mouth filling with the thick, warm blood, and his senses reeling from the exquisite perfumed taste and scent.

He lifted Buck's larger frame off his feet with ease, drawing him upwards as the blood flowed into him. Every memory from Buck's life flashed through him, from childhood through to these last few moments of his mortal life, but Vin focused on those precious moments shared with Chris, seeing his lover through Buck's eyes. He wept with Buck as he celebrated the birth of Adam Larabee, and then wept anew as he and Chris buried both mother and child close to the charred remnants of what had once been a happy and loving home. Joy, fear, envy, acceptance and friendship lifted his soul higher as Vin accepted all of Buck into his body.

Vin held on tight to the weakening body, focusing on the laboring heart until he knew it had precious little blood left to pump through the large frame. Then, Vin lowered Buck to the ground, licking his lips in fear as well as pleasure before looking to Chris, and speaking aloud.

"When I start to push him away, you got to make him let go of me."

Vin saw the flicker of concern in the beautiful green eyes, and hissed as Chris found the fear Vin had hidden from him--fear that he might die in this attempt to turn Buck into one of them. Terror filled Chris's eyes and mind as he looked from the almost dead mortal he loved as a brother to the soulmate he loved beyond life and death.

"No..."

"I can do this, Chris. Just need a little helping hand, is all."

"No. You should have told me, Vin. You should have-"

"Damnit, Chris, I can do this... and I will do this. Trust me."

Vin opened the vein in his arm and pressed the ragged tear to Buck's lips before Chris could spring forward to stop him, urging Buck to drink from him. His eyes lifted as Chris sank to the ground before him, holding Buck between them, and he locked onto his lover's gaze. Chris's presence gave him the strength he needed to push back his fear and allow Buck to draw back the blood until Vin felt the icy fingers of absolute death creeping over him.

"ENOUGH!" He cried out as he tried to pull his arm from Buck's tight grip, grateful for Chris's strength where his had weakened. He fell backwards to the dusty ground, scrabbling out of Buck's reach even as he heard the larger man cry out weakly, in pain. Buck curled up into a tight ball. He vomited streams of blood, the scent of the air turning foul as Buck's body betrayed him. Torn between the two, Chris's eyes darted once between him and Buck before he moved swiftly to Vin's side.

"I'm fine, Cowboy. Just tired is all."

Barely had he spoken before he found his lips pressed against his lover's silken throat, and his teeth sinking into cool, vulnerable flesh. The life-giving blood filled his mouth, bursting upon his senses with an overwhelming sweetness as his thoughts merged with his lover, sharing all that he was and all he would ever be with this most special person. Vin moaned in pleasure as he drank from his lover, accepting the wonderful gift so freely given. The weakness lifted from him, though he knew they would both need to feed this night to replenish what they had lost.

Close by, Buck cried out again, convulsing as the changed blood altered every cell in his body.

"It's okay, Buck. Just ride it out. It'll all be over soon and then you'll feel fine."

Chris's soft voice soothed the pain-wracked man, even as he offered his life-blood to Vin to replenish some of what he had lost. Vin drew away from the offered throat as Buck's mortal body died, licking the ragged puncture marks on his lover's throat to lap up the last of the spilled blood as the wound closed and disappeared.

Vin watched as his lover moved to sit beside the deathly still man, holding no jealousy for the hand that reached out to Buck, to land gently upon one naked shoulder. Already, Vin could see the knife wound healing on his back, and he knew the gut wound would be closing too. He moved to sit beside Chris, wrapping his arms around the lean waist as they waited for a sign that he had succeeded in making Buck one of them.

****

The silence surrounding Buck was absolute, as if every living creature had paused to take a deep breath, only releasing it when he gasped and sat up. Buck stared around the cavern, amazed by the vibrant colors that filled the darkness surrounding him, and then he became aware of the quicksilver of silent laughter. Buck turned, coming face to face with the owner of that beautiful sound, and he grinned in pleasure on seeing Chris barely two feet away from him. He studied the handsome face with his new vampire eyes; awed by the incredible beauty of the creature he called his friend. He had always known Chris was a good-looking man but this ethereal being was something out of one of Josiah's fairy stories. His alabaster skin was flawless, his soft green eyes shining brightly, as if filled with starlight, and his hair shimmered in the waning firelight like spun gold.

Once more Buck sensed the whisper soft touch of Chris's thoughts as they enfolded him, and then the silvery laughter that sent spikes of pure pleasure racing through his newly awakened body. Quiet movement drew his eyes to the silent figure wrapped around Chris in an intimate embrace.

Buck could no longer hear the mind-voice of Vin Tanner--his sire--but he saw the love shining for him from deep within blue eyes set in an equally beautiful face.

"Damn, Vin, Chris. Never realized what a handsome pair the two of you make."

Chris's smile blazed across at him, taking him back to those early years when he had seen his friend so in love with his wife and child. He felt tears well in his eyes and roll down his cheeks, knowing Chris had found that love again--and far more besides--with the man holding him tight in his arms.

With joy in his heart, he reached for both of his friends, hugging them tightly as he treasured the gift they had given him, too overwhelmed by the moment to notice that he was covered in blood, gore and other less than savory excretions. Neither vampire balked from his embrace, too overjoyed at seeing Buck whole and _alive_ to care.

When he pulled back from the embrace, his eyes were crinkling with amusement as they settled on Vin, recalling the love that had filled him as Vin shared all that he was and all that he felt for Chris with Buck, even as he took Buck's thoughts into himself. Yet, despite all they had shared, he knew Vin feared Buck would usurp his place by Chris's side now he had become one of them.

"Just to let you know, Vin. In case you didn't read it all in here," he tapped his head with one dirty, blood-encrusted finger. "I ain't one of them funny cowboys that likes the boys. I'm a ladies' man, in love with all them female curves and butter-soft skin. I love everything about a woman... love the way they move, the way they laugh and sing and cry. I love the sweetness of their voices and the way they moan so softly when I sink into their warm and welcoming embrace."

He sighed in sweet remembrance of the many women he had taken to bed, recalling the perfect fit of his body within theirs as they swept towards ecstasy in each other's arms. Buck lifted one corner of his mouth in a quirky smile.

"Guess what I'm trying to say is... don't plan on adding me in to make up no threesome with you and Chris. If I want three in a bed, then I'll find me two lovely ladies. No offense, boys."

"None taken, Buck."

"Now, if you two lovebirds have finished canoodling... I'm starving, and I know exactly what will satisfy my hunger."

Soft, silvery laughter rippled through Buck anew as he revealed to Chris his full understanding of what he had become, and what he would need to do to survive in vampire form. He gave a slight smile as Vin stood up, watching as he drew Chris to his feet beside him before stepping forward to offer his hand to Buck. Buck knew that offered hand symbolized far more than a means to bring him to his feet. His eyes stayed fixed upon Vin's face for the longest time, as if trying to read to the depths of Vin's soul through the beautiful blue eyes, and then he grinned broadly and clasped the strong hand.

Vin grinned in response as he pulled Buck to his feet with ease. Buck took several steps towards the cave entrance and then stopped abruptly. He sniffed audibly, only now becoming aware of the stench of his soiled and bloodied body.

"Hell, boys. Can't go a calling on a young lady, smelling, and looking like a gutted pig."

Vin frowned. "You mean that Rosa Lee?"

"Ain't what you're thinking, Vin. Figure I could help her solve a little problem with a certain barkeep."

Chris gave a lopsided smile. "Figured as much, so why don't we go get cleaned up first."

Buck grinned at the image of shimmering water sent to him by Chris, recalling the small, winding river that cut through the plain close to the town before feeding into a small, moonlit pool. He knew the water would still be warm from the long, hot day so he followed Chris and Vin, as eager to wash away the remnants of his mortal life in the crystal clear water as he was to begin his new life by his friends' side.

****

Before they could leave, Lestat and Louis came into the cave to gather the last of their belongings; both vampires moved about in silence. Chris looked across from time to time but it was plain that Lestat had no desire to speak further with any of them this night. Part of him had expected an outburst, like the temper tantrum Louis described on the day, almost a century ago, when he burnt down the big house on his plantation, thereby evicting both he and Lestat from a comfortable home. Instead, Lestat remained strangely calm, staring at the new addition to their family for but a moment before turning away without a single admonishment towards any of them.

It was almost as if he had expected this outcome and could see no point in ranting about the inevitable. If anything, the only surprise that registered on his beautiful face came when Lestat discovered the identity of Buck's sire. His quick glance towards Louis confirmed that he had expected Louis to be the one, wrongly assuming that Louis would give in to his stronger-minded siblings and make Buck for them, just as he had caved into Claudia's demand for her companion, Madeleine.

However, whether Lestat desired to speak or not, Chris needed to know where they stood with him so he followed him to where the horses waited patiently for the start of a new journey. Lestat turned suddenly but his face held no rage, only resignation.

"I gave the Dark Gift to my mother, Gabrielle, shortly after becoming a vampire. I had little knowledge of how to accomplish the task for my sire, Magnus, had cast himself into the flames, seeking his eternal death soon after making me. She was dying of Consumption and, although cold and aloof, I loved her... and I knew she favored me for we were much alike in our dislike of the mortal lives the fates had conspired to place upon us. For a time, she was my companion."

"Then why did Louis fear for either me or Vin turning Buck?"

Lestat gave a rueful smile before turning back the horses. "The drawback in creating another while so young lies not so much in the risk of losing either sire or child to death or madness--though it is a real risk--but in the weakness of the vampire blood." He reached out to stroke the velvet nose of one of the horses. "Gathering vampire strength takes centuries of drinking mortal blood... or the little sip from an ancient, whose blood is already powerful."

Lestat turned back to Chris again, and this time his eyes glinted with a hint of compassion. "The fledgling is weaker than the sire. The powerful blood of the ancient Magnus was much diluted by the time it reached you, Louis and Vincent."

Chris did not know why but he had a feeling Lestat was holding back on something, some knowledge that he was unwilling to share at this time. It did not feel like a lie exactly but, possibly, an omission that might have something to do with Magnus, or with another powerful ancient. Once more, Chris wished the powerful bond between sire and child had included the ability to read each other's thoughts with the same ease that he could read a mere mortal--or Vin.

 _When he allows it_ , he thought, ruefully, as he recalled how Vin had hidden Louis' fears from him.

Chris knew most of Louis' problems with Lestat stemmed from this inability to understand what drove the older vampire but, unlike Louis, Chris had retained many of the memories Lestat had shared during Chris's mortal death. He knew that he and Lestat shared a gift of reading minds, and so they could recognize the mortal evil doer even when that person had managed to hide their cruelty from most others. He knew from his sire's memories that Lestat had never killed an innocent person, though he would admit to have taken the little sip from them when the need--or desire--arose. Chris realized that he and Lestat were fortunate in having the ability to see the darkness blotting their intended victims' souls, whereas Louis--and even Vin--could read only the surface emotions of their chosen victim and, for Louis, not much deeper even when drinking their blood.

Yet, their blessing was also their curse, and should have given him and Lestat a greater aversion to killing than Louis, through having too many thoughts bombarding them.

Lestat seemed to pick up on Chris's thoughts, and his eyes hardened. "Because of his aversion to the taking of human life, Louis is uncommonly weak amongst our kind, perhaps only slightly stronger than you and Vincent... for all his decades of immortal life."

Chris pursed his lips and looked away. He had always suspected this might be the case, having sensed a weakness in his sibling that seemed unnatural, but it did not change the way he felt about Louis. The bond between them was stronger than brothers. It was forged through the blood, and through the thoughts they shared occasionally. Yet, Lestat's words confirmed Chris's fears that Louis would ever remain weakened because of his aversion to taking the life of even the most wicked amongst humanity. Chris had no qualms about killing, choosing his and Vin's victims with no doubt that they deserved to die for their inhumane actions towards other mortals, and knowing they would be mourned by few.

Dwelling on Lestat's words, Chris wondered how strong Buck would be with just Vin's changed blood flowing through his veins. He and Vin still needed to kill several times a week to sustain their existence, but he had a feeling Buck would need to feed each night to stave off the blood-hunger.

Once again, Lestat seemed to pick up on Chris's thoughts, even though Chris knew that was not possible.

"Vincent's... child has need of you both. He hungers... and so do you." Lestat smiled brightly. "Feed, and then follow us. Louis and I will find a safe resting place for us all."

Chris grinned, and nodded, grasping the hand that caressed his face and planting a kiss into the palm before mentally summoning Vin and Buck. Soon after, they watched together as Lestat and Louis set off at a slow pace in the small coach, preferring its slightly decadent comfort to a night on horseback, leaving Chris, Vin and Buck to retrieve their horses from the livery in the town.

On facing Buck and Vin, Chris noticed they were both clean, and dressed in freshly laundered clothing. He shook his head and made his way to the moonlit pool, stripping off as he went, and leaving behind a trail of clothes that Vin picked up with a knowing grin. The water was cold but Chris no longer worried about such inconsequential matters. Instead, he bathed in the moonlight, unashamed of his body as he displayed all that he was to the two pairs of blue eyes watching him closely. He could feel the heat in Vin's stare, translated into lust-filled thoughts that burned into Chris, igniting his blood with need for his lover.

What surprised Chris more was the shock of desire coming from Buck, as if the womanizer had only just taken notice of the male form, and seen all the sexual possibilities within it. Suddenly, Chris was grateful that it had been Vin who sired Buck, uncertain how his eternal lover would react should he discover the lustful thoughts emanating from Buck towards him. He bathed quickly, sluicing away Buck's mortal blood that had seeped through his clothing to his flesh, before using the soap Vin handed to him. Chris luxuriated in the silken suds, loving the feel of them against his sensitive flesh, and then he rinsed quickly. He found Vin waiting for him, holding out fresh clothing, which he quickly climbed into.

Moments later, they raced back towards the town, intent on retrieving their horses and sating their hunger before riding off to catch up with Lestat and Louis.

****

The saloon had filled to capacity by the time they reached the town, and even Buck knew better than to stride into its interior--seemingly uninjured--only hours after most had seen him bleeding like a stuck pig in the street beyond. Impatiently, Buck waited in the shadows several miles out from the town, while Vin entered the stable with Chris by his side, knowing they would reward the stable boy handsomely as they saddled up the horses--including Buck's gray.

Eventually, he saw two riders and three horses galloping towards his hiding place, and he stepped out on to the dirt track. "Started to wonder what happened to you both," he said, amiably, as they reined to a halt before him.

Vin gave a gentle laugh while Chris rolled his eyes as he handed over the reins of the gray to Buck, before dropping from his horse. Chris led his gelding into the small stand of trees and tied him securely, out of sight of any passers by, smiling as Vin joined him, and then Buck.

"You boys ready?" Buck looked from one to the other. "Well, then let's get going, pards. Got me a lady in distress to rescue from boredom... and the clutches of a madman."

He took off towards the town under vampire speed and means, to seek out the blood he needed, grinning as Chris's voice followed.

"That's our Buck. Always thinking with the wrong head."

"Well, least he ain't deluded into thinking he's saving her from her virginity," replied Vin.

From the bubbles of laughter in Chris's thoughts, he knew both had spoken in friendly jest. They both understood how he felt about the poor treatment of women, plus they knew only one victim would do for Buck this first night. He had a personal vendetta against Thomas as he hungered for the blood of the man who had ended his mortal existence with two vicious stabs of a knife. He wanted to see the same fear and knowledge of impending death fill those cruel eyes before he sucked out the last drops of the man's blood. It was revenge Buck wanted, pure and simple... and sweet.

The opportunity came soon enough, when the barkeep left the security of the crowds filling his saloon to gather more whisky supplies from the back room, only to find Buck waiting there for him.

"Still don't like the way you treat a lady, mister. And I like how you treat a man even worse... so, this time, an apology ain't enough."

"No. No... You're... you're dead. I stuck you twice... once in the gut. Ain't no man can survive that."

Buck leaned in until he could feel Thomas's harsh breaths upon his face. "Who said I'm a man?" Buck grinned, revealing the sharp points of his vampire teeth. "Now, this is something I ain't about to regret."

He lunged forward, grasping Thomas and sinking his teeth into the meaty throat. The blood gushed into his mouth, sweet and warm, and Buck swallowed greedily even as he accepted some of the darkness within the man's soul in a rush of recent memories. He drank deeply and then cast the dead husk aside, licking his lips as the fresh blood raced through his starving veins, easing the hunger.

Buck stroked his neat mustache, licking the spilled droplets of precious fluid from his lips before touching the brim of his hat in a deprecating gesture towards the dead mortal. In those memories, Buck had seen the truth of Thomas's relationship with Rosa Lee. She was more than just his whore, she was also his wife, taken from her village under the pretense of love and marriage only to find herself enslaved and sold to as many men who wanted her each night thereafter. Fear of Thomas had kept her shackled to that bed but now she was free, and with no one closer to stake a claim on the saloon, as his widow, she now owned both the business and her own life.

He left though the back entrance, finding Chris and Vin waiting for him. Both gave him beautiful grins before flying away but Buck waited a moment, contemplating the back stairs that led up to Rosa Lee's bedroom. He pursed his lips in thought and then grinned as he turned away from her sweet charms. Swiftly, Buck followed after his friends, knowing they needed to make their own kill now, without any concerns for his well-being, leaving the town and its terrible memories behind him forever.

****

**Epilogue:**

They caught up with Lestat and Louis fifty miles west, in the cemetery outside the border town of Nogales. Leaving the horses unsaddled and free to wander in search of grazing, they made their way towards the largest mausoleum near the center of the cemetery.

"What happens if someone takes the horses?"

Chris shrugged. "Then we just take them back." He grinned mischievously, as if he hoped that might be the case. "You okay with that?"

"Sounds fine to me, Chris."

Lestat had opened the stone-built mausoleum of the LaGuardia family and had already claimed the most impressive of the stone coffins for him and Louis. With a little reverence for the dead, Vin and Chris emptied another for Buck, piling the skeletal remains in one corner of the mausoleum before telling Buck to climb in.

As he lay down, Buck stared up at his friends, and Vin could see the sleepiness in his countenance, knowing from his own slowly increasing lethargy that the sun would rise within the next twenty minutes.

Even though he would never be able to share Buck's thoughts, except through Chris, he no longer doubted they had made the right decision in making Buck a part of them. The ride to Nogales had proved how much he had missed the company of the others, and Vin wished they could have Nathan, Ezra, Josiah and JD riding with them too. Yet, he knew Chris was right, in that they should have the chance to make a good life under the sun, building a home and making a family.

In Buck's case, Thomas had taken away that chance, and Vin was glad.

"Good to have you riding with us again, Buck," he murmured.

"Ain't no place else I'd rather be."

The blue eyes drifted shut as Chris and Vin pushed the heavy, stone top in place, sealing Buck into the darkness before clearing out their own surprisingly large, daytime resting place. They bundled up their gun rigs and placed them inside at the foot end, and then climbed in. Together, they sealed the stone above them, plunging the coffin into darkness with the knowledge that the sun could not penetrate the thick slab. Outside, they could hear Louis and Lestat sealing the entrance before climbing into their own resting place, and Vin relished the comparative safety, knowing it would take six or seven mortals to open it.

Vin moaned sleepily. He could feel the lethargic pull of the daylight upon his lover's limbs from where they tangled with his own, but he knew there was a little time left before they drifted into deep sleep. His hand smoothed down the fabric of Chris's shirt, teasing open each button in turn before pulling apart the edges to expose naked flesh. Chris was warm to his touch, his veins filled with the blood of a fresh kill. He squirmed wantonly beneath Vin's inquisitive fingers, sighing when they toyed with a nipple before traveling down his bare skin to the waist of his pants. Vin opened the pants and reached for the already hardened shaft, drawing it from its fabric prison. He wriggled as Chris's hand reciprocated, delving inside Vin's clothing, and he moaned as warm fingers curled around his excited flesh.

Swiftly, with movements synchronized through the mind link they shared, Vin brought Chris to the edge of passion, sighing his own pleasure into his lover's mouth as they kissed deeply. His teeth grazed the plump lower lip, filling their mouths with the metallic taste of blood that merely added to the hunger he felt for his lover, and sending sparks of fire racing through their bodies to ignite all their senses.

Vin caught the soft gasps and whimpers as Chris's mind soared beyond the darkness of their tomb into brilliant sunlight, his own cries of satisfaction muffled by the ardent kiss. As his senses spiraled out of control, Vin let his thoughts flow with Chris, letting his lover take him on a journey that Vin dreamed would last forever.

THE END

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End file.
